Legacy
by Macarov
Summary: Hamtaro has been having odd dreams of late, and when unexpected and unfortunate events transpire, two of the hams are swept far away from home. How will they return, and what will one of them learn about his past? Couples: HxB and PxP
1. Midnight Memory

**Greetings, everyone! **

**Well, here it is (finally)-- my new Hamtaro fanfic. Full of adventure, plot twists, romance (for all you HamtaroxBijou lovers out there... and a little something thrown in for those who enjoy PandaxPashmina too). But before I get into it:**

**Special thanks go out to CN and ChargingFowardBlind, who have both generously agreed to preview and review all the chapters for this story before I post them. So far, their advice and insight has proved invaluable. Thank you (again) :P**

**Be warned! This won't be just a few chapters. Strap yourselves in, it's gonna be a long ride.**

**(AN: If you have not seen the Hamtaro OVA about him and his mother, I would highly suggest watching it. It was only released in Japanese, but if you message me, I'd be more than happy to send you a link to an English subbed version. It would help with your understanding of this fanfic :)**

**(I do not own Hamtaro, Loreena McKennitt's "Moon Cradle", or anything else created by the brilliant minds of others.)**

* * *

"Memories are to remember the past and dreams are to predict the future. If you don't have dreams you don't have anything." – Unknown

_The dimming light of a tender sunset illuminated the bright red roof and yellow walls of the kindergarten. A carelessly caressing breeze swayed the swing set and caused the tall golden stands of grass encircling the quaint school ground to dance like waves upon the ocean._

_Within the red-roofed building, staring patiently through her cage's bars and the transparent windows of the schoolhouse, was a hamster. Her pale white fur was soft as fleece. The hamster's sky-blue eyes now swung to survey the empty classroom._

_There was a warm, gentle ambiance about Yuki. It was one of her defining characteristics. Yuki believed it was this nature that made her such a great pet and friend to all the young human children who attended the kindergarten. The white hamster, along with Ayuko, her owner and the children's teacher, found joy in taking care of the inexperienced kids. _

_A rustling in the woodshavings to Yuki's right caught the white-furred ham's attention. "Of course, it's not just the children I have to look out for now_," _she blissfully reminded herself, a slight blush to her cheeks. _

_Lying beside the blue-eyed hamgirl was the slumbering form of a cream and orange baby hamster. The tired infant nestled his tiny head up against his mother's pale fur. Reaching down with a nurturing paw, Yuki calmly caressed her son's ears, beaming at him. _

_The motherham began to gingerly sing a lullaby to the cream and orange babyham. Eyes still closed, the little one once again repositioned his head against his mother's fur and returned to sleeping. Yuki continued to stroke her son's ears as she sang in her sweet voice- _

_"The moon-cradle's rocking and rocking_

_Where a cloud and a cloud go by_

_Silently rocking and rocking_

_The moon-cradle out in the sky._

_Then comes the lad with the hazel_

_And the folding star's in the rack_

_"Night's a good herd to the cattle,"_

_He sings, "She brings all things back."_

_But the bond woman down by the boorie_

_Sings with a heart grown wild_

_How a hundred rivers are flowing_

_Between herself and her child_

_"The geese, even they trudge homeward_

_That have their wings and the waste_

_Let your thoughts be on Night the Herder_

_And be quiet for a space."_

_The sound of the cage door opening caused Yuki to look up from the sleeping babe. __Another hamster carefully stepped through the portal onto the woodshavings, a long and slender object held in his paw. "I didn't wake him, did I?" whispered the new arrival. __Without halting her relaxing song, Yuki gave him a loving smile and shook her head._

_"The moon-cradle's rocking and rocking_

_Where a cloud and a cloud go by_

_Silently rocking and rocking_

_The moon-cradle out in the sky._

_The snipe they are crying and crying_

_Liadine, liadine, liadine_

_Where no track's on the bog they are flying_

_A lonely dream will be mine."_

_Returning the warm look, the new arrival set the object down by the cagedoor and walked across to the motherham as her lullaby concluded with a graceful angelic note. The two hams touched cheeks and schmubby-wubbied. Then, the pair looked upon the slumbering babyham. _

"_He's so small…" the visitor observed, a hint of amazement in his voice. "And his fur…" Indeed, the cream and orange ham's fur was the perfect blend of Yuki's and the new arrival's._

_The motherham looked up into the visitor's amber eyes and stated with a grin, "He has more in common with you than the orange."_

_The other hamster looked at Yuki, slightly puzzled. _

_Rubbing her cheek against his, the white-furred ham remarked, "He has your eyes too." _

"_He does?"_

_Yuki nodded, giggling at the ham's surprise. Suddenly, her voice took on a scolding tone as the motherham rapped the visitor across his ear, saying, "But he has more of you in him than I'd like."_

_The amber-eyed ham looked at her, confused._

_Yuki sighed. "He kept trying to find a way out of the cage today. I couldn't take my eyes off of him for half a minute! Mischievous little guy…"_

_The pair chuckled. Yuki grasped the other ham's paw within her own. "But he is well behaved."_

"_And cute," added the amber-eyed ham. "Just like his mother." _

_The two schmubby-wubbied again, then the visitor asked, "Have you been thinking about a name?"_

_Yuki nodded. "Ayuko suggested one. I liked it, but wanted to wait to see what you thought."_

_The visitor looked at Yuki expectantly._

"_I was thinking Hamtaro."_

"_Hamtaro…" The amber-eyed ham chimed, testing the way the name felt. Then he nodded._

_Leaning down close to the slumbering babyham, the visitor whispered into an orange ear, "Hear that, little guy? Your name's Hamtaro." _

_Yuki beamed at the proud smile the amber-eyed hamster displayed._

"_Hamtaro… my son."_

* * *

The cream and orange hamster sat bolt upright, his amber eyes frantically scanning his surroundings. The room was dark, but a luminescent moon helped the hamster get his bearings.

The cream and orange ham's ears twitched as they picked up the tranquil, steady breathing of his owner, Laura, as she slept peacefully in her bed. Hamtaro let out a notable breath of relief.

He was home. Hamtaro's tense posture eased. The hamster yawned.

_That was a weird dream,_Hamtaro thought while flopping back down upon the carpet of woodshavings. "Maxwell was right," the ham sighed. "I shouldn't have eaten the shells from those sunflower seeds."

And yet, the cream and orange ham couldn't force the strange dream from his thoughts. He had recognized the hamster with white fur and sky-blue eyes. That was Yuki, his mother. (AN: This is a brief summary of the OVA about Hamtaro and his mother ) Nearly a year ago now, Boss, a tan field hamster with dark markings, Oxnard, a large hamster speckled with gray spots, and Jingle, the traveling mohawk-sporting poet, had accompanied Hamtaro on his birthday quest to find his mother. It was three thousand hammy steps from here to Sumire Town, the place where Hamtaro had been born and where Laura's family lived previously. If it hadn't been for both Herbert the pig and Francois the pigeon giving the four of them rides, Hamtaro and his friends would never have reached their destination within a day. However, the hams managed to reach Sumire Town well before sunset.

When they had arrived at the kindergarten where Yuki supposedly stayed, the hams indeed found a white-furred hamster. But it had turned out to be a ham named Tsurara. She informed Hamtaro that Ayuko, the teacher, had often talked about Yuki. "Ayuko always says that Yuki is some place far away now…"

Afterwards, while Boss and Oxnard munched on sunflower seeds and Jingle strummed his guitar, Hamtaro had gazed upward at the sapphire sky. It was then that he had beheld his mother's image in the clouds. While she had appeared so warm and soft, she seemed so far away.

"Hamtaro…" her voice had echoed in his mind. "I'm glad you made it to this far away place."

"Mom!" Hamtaro had cried out to Yuki. Her image smiled at him.

"You have such wonderful friends. As long as you're always with them… I'll be with you too. I'll always watch over you, Hamtaro. Always… and forever." (AN: end OVA summary)

The cream and orange ham ran a paw through his woodshavings. There was no doubt the white-furred hamster had been his mommy. But then…

"Who was the other ham?" Hamtaro voiced out loud.

He had seemed so… familiar. The cream and orange ham couldn't make sense of it. And what had the other hamster said at the end?

"_Hamtaro… my—"_

But the rest of the line eluded the amber-eyed ham. If he could just recall that last word, Hamtaro felt that it would make sense—that all the pieces would add up.

Yawning, the hamster's eyelids sluggishly began to close. Unable to reach any conclusions about the strange hamster from his dream, Hamtaro fell back into an undisturbed sleep.

* * *

**There you have it. The intro. **

**Towards the bottom of my author's page, I've written a sort of mock interview with myself about "Hamtaro: Legacy." Yeah, it's kinda lame. But if you liked the introduction, then go ahead and check it out. **

**The first and second chapters of this fanfic are complete. I'll post them over the next week or so while I work on the rest. If you enjoyed it and choose to review, then I'll ****appreciate** it. 

**Thank you for reading. :)**

**Macarov**


	2. Planned Celebration

**I've decided to post the first chapter a tad earlier than I had scheduled (mostly because it was done and I wanted to get it out there). **

**Hope the intro was enjoyable, though it was a little on the short side. Do not worry, this chapter is considerably longer. ****Please be patient with the first few chapters. The story starts off slow, but it will pick up. **

* * *

The morning was sunny and bright as Hamtaro merrily made his way through Oak Tree Park. Events of the previous night erased from his memory, the cream and orange ham moseyed slowly onward with his head titled up towards the summer sky, observing the minute wisps of clouds as they lazily floated upon their undetermined courses.

Suddenly, Hamtaro heard a familiar voice cutting through the still, August air—a familiar voice that was calling his name.

Spinning his head rearward, he perceived a figure hurrying in his direction along the path. As the figure grew closer, Hamtaro made out the distinctive gray-spotted coat and larger than norm form of his friend Oxnard.

"Hamtaro… wait… for… me…" the large hamster gasped, nearly collapsing as he caught up with his friend, clutching onto his sunflower seed like a lifesaver. _I've really got to lay off the extra snacks_, Oxnard reflected between breaths.

"Hamha, Oxnard!" Hamtaro cheerily hailed.

Still recovering from his sprint, all the cream and orange ham's hammo managed in response was an exasperated, "Hamha… H-Hamtaro."

The amber eyed hamster smiled, oblivious to his friend's fatique, then continued, "It sure is nice outside today! I wonder what the Ham-Hams are up to?"

Oxnard's gray eyes shot open, fatigue forgotten. "T-The Ham-Hams?!"

Hamtaro smiled innocently. "Yeah! Let's head over to the clubhouse and see what the other hams have planned today!"

The gray spotted hamster began to quake hysterically. "The c-clubhouse?! But you can't go to the clubhouse!" Oxnard's novel sunflower seed cluttered from his grasp. He picked the precious item from the ground with a shaky paw. Standing upright again, Oxnard found himself staring at a confused, slightly hurt, Hamtaro.

"Heke? But Oxy," the cream and orange ham inquired, "why can't I go to the clubhouse?"

The spotted ham fumbled for words. "Uh… did I say _can't_ go to the clubhouse? I meant you _shouldn't_! Yeah, you _shouldn't_ go to the clubhouse." The large hamster chuckled nervously.

"Then why shouldn't I go to the clubhouse?" Hamtaro naively pressed, head cocked to one side questioningly.

Oxnard was panicking, beads of sweat forming on his head. "Uh… well… because… uh… uh…"

Luckily for the ham, a pair of voices could suddenly be heard coming towards them. Hamtaro and Oxnard's ears twitched. The pair looked towards the commotion.

Sure enough, approaching from deeper within the park came their friends Panda, whose markings mirrored those of the bear by the same name, and Cappy, their hat-loving pal. The two were normally good friends. However, it became more and more apparent to both Hamtaro and Oxnard that there was some dispute between the pair.

Panda seemed to be more or less pushing his friend down the road, all with a nervous smile on his face, while Cappy protested furiously.

Hamtaro frowned. He had no idea why Cappy was upset or why Panda was forcing him down the path, but the cream and orange ham didn't like it when his pals had disagreements.

"Hey guys!" the amber-eyed ham called out, running towards the two hamsters.

"Hamtaro! Wait up!" Oxnard chimed, following his hammo.

* * *

"—but Panda! I want to go to the clubhouse today!" Cappy was arguing furiously against his friend's protesting pushing, waving his paws sporadically.

However, Panda, ever the carpenter-ham, had more muscle than he let on. Still, his smaller cap-loving friend was putting up one heke of a fight. _I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up, _Panda speculated through his labor, grinding his teeth as he gave another strained shove into Cappy's back.

That's when the two hams heard a friendly, and familiar, voice exclaim, "Hey guys!"

Panda and Cappy looked up to discover the cream and orange form of Hamtaro running towards them, followed by the slower Oxnard. _Oh cats,_ the carpenter-ham expressed.

* * *

Bijou beamed as she completed smoothing out the final crease in her origami cherry blossom. The paper flower was not the first the white furred girlham had folded today. However, she admired this particular blossom the most. Perhaps it was because she had folded it from blue paper, matching the cerulean ribbons she wore supporting the cute pigtails on either side of her head.

She had developed a gift for origami—something she had learned by first watching Maria, her owner. Bijou had never thought much of it. That is, until last year's Christmas party.

Pashmina, one of her best friends, had commented how great it would be to have flowers to decorate the clubhouse. But, seeing as it had been winter, there was not a rose, orchid, or lily to be found. "Do not vorry," Bijou had assured in her French accent. "I vill zimply make some!"

The other hams had watched with rapt attention and amazement as their friend skillfully folded a simple piece of paper into a beautiful origami flower. All her friends had been impressed, shouting out praises for her unique, and certainly talented, ability. However, Bijou recalled one ham's compliment most of all.

"Wow, Bijou!" Hamtaro had exclaimed, a genuine tone in his voice. "That's amazing!"

The French ham remembered she had blushed and felt a warmth fill her cheeks at the comment and the boyham's enduring smile. Recalling the memory, she felt that same warmth again.

Realizing her cheeks were flushed, Bijou shook herself out of her daydreaming.

_Afterall, _she gleefully reminded herself, _'Amtaro and Cappy's birthday dance vill not decorate itself! _

It had originally been Sandy and Stan's idea to have a dance at the clubhouse celebrating their friend's birthdays. Both Hamtaro and Cappy had been born on August 6, Hamtaro a year older. All the Ham-Hams had been ecstatic at the proposal.

Then Maxwell suggested that they make it a surprise. This contribution was met with yet more approval. However, time was of the essence—they only had a precious two days to get everything ready.

Both Panda and Oxnard had been elected to distract Hamtaro and Cappy and make sure they did not come to the clubhouse, lest the surprise be ruined. "Remember," Boss had informed them, "we gotta keep'm out of the clubhouse for two days!"

This had been the first day they had begun the preparations for the party/dance, but they had already made fantastic progress. Bijou looked around the clubhouse.

Boss was standing between a fuming Dexter and Howdy. The two hamsters, each belonging to rival shopkeepers, were suppose to be moving extra food out of the supply room when Howdy, a brown furred apron wearing hamster, had "accidentally" dropped a sack of sunflowers onto Dexter's foot. The gray, bow-tie loving ham had glared through the spectacle-like markings around his eyes at his joke telling rival, and thus the fighting had commenced.

Luckily, Boss had stepped in before either one could do any real harm. The large field hamster was easily the biggest of them all, with tan fur accented by black markings on the tips of his ears and lower body. He appeared at first glance to be rugged with his bent whiskers and a small sliver missing from his ear. However, Bijou knew he was a loyal friend who would dig to the center of the Earth if it meant helping a fellow Ham-Ham.

Standing behind a hamster-sized turntable, speakers on either side, was Stan. The tiger striped boyham wore a small pair of headphones. If Bijou listened attentively enough, she could just make out a whisper of music escaping from the personal listening device. Stan's eyes were closed as he lazily shook his signature pair of maracas to the beat of the tune. The sport-loving flirt had volunteered to DJ the dance.

Meanwhile, Stan's twin sister, Sandy, was diligently setting up the room while her boyfriend, Maxwell, assisted best he could. They seemed an odd pairing at first glance—Sandy being athletic and sporty compared to the sophisticated and bookwormish Maxwell—but somehow it had worked, and Bijou couldn't deny how cute the couple looked together.

In another section of the clubhouse, the French ham saw her friends Pashmina and Penelope. The two were nearly inseparable; wherever one went, the other followed. Pashmina never left her cage without her favorite pink scarf and, likewise, Penelope would never be caught without her unique yellow blanket draped over her head. Bijou supposed that Pashmina saw herself as a type of guardian and older sister to her younger friend. Currently, the two were attempting to make a birthday cake for Hamtaro and Cappy, carefully studying a recipe Chef-Ham had given them.

Pashmina looked up and caught the French girlham's eye. Bijou's scarf-wearing friend turned and signaled to Sandy, who returned the subtle gesture with a wink. In unison, Bijou's two best friends excused themselves from Maxwell and Penelope and walked over to sit with their friend at the table.

"This party's going to be, like, so cool!" exclaimed an excited Sandy, pulling up a seat.

"You said it," agreed Pashmina, sitting down on Bijou's other side.

Before the French ham could sound accordance, a ruckus could be heard from the far side of the clubhouse. Dexter and Howdy were at it again.

"Pashmina would never dance with a Neanderthal like you!" argued a stern Dexter.

His rival made a face, while retorting, "Oh yeah? And what makes ya think she'd want to dance with the likes of you?"

"Manners' for one."

"Who needs 'pleases' and 'thankies' when you've got a great sense of humor like myself," Howdy stated proudly.

The girlhams turned away from the debating boyhams, looks of disapproval dominating their features.

"Vell, Pashmina" Bijou remarked with a smile, "looks like you vill 'ave two boys to dance with at ze party, non?"

The scarf-wearing ham returned the grin, remarking, "I'll probably be too busy watching over Penelope to dance."

Sandy and Pashmina exchanged another look. The tiger striped girlham playful nudged Bijou in the side. "So like, are you going to ask Hamtaro to dance?" she inquired.

The French ham's cheeks flushed pink, revealing her embarrassment.

"Come on, Bijou," Pashmina urged. "It's the perfect opportunity!"

"Vell…" It wasn't as if she didn't want to. The amber-eyed boyham was courageous, brave, and friendly to everyone. Bijou's feelings for him had done nothing but grow since she first saw him perched in the tree outside her window. But Hamtaro could be so naïve sometimes. Bijou wondered if he would ever realize her feelings for him.

Sandy and Pashmina, sensing their friend's hesitation, chose not to press too hard. "It's ok, Bij. You, like, don't have to, ya know?"

Bijou nodded. "But vat if Hamtaro never realizes ze way I feel?"

Pashmina placed a reassuring paw upon her friend's back. "Don't worry. I'm sure it will become clear to him someday."

"Yeah, and I'm sure Hamtaro will, like, feel the same way. Remember how it was for Maxy and me?"

The French girlham giggled. She could always count on her friends to cheer her up.

"Oakwee!" the voice of Penelope called across the clubhouse for her older "sister".

Pashmina stood up. "I better go before Penelope puts too much sun-flour into the cake mix."

As the scarf-wearing girlham rejoined her small friend, Sandy stated once more, "Just have hope, Bij."

The white furred ham beamed at her athletic friend. Sandy returned the smile, and moseyed off. However, instead of rejoining Maxwell with the décor, the tiger striped girlham tip-toed over to her reclining brother. Opening one eye, Stan regarded his sister with a carefree expression. Shaking one of his festive maracas, the boyham gave his twin a passive smile. "Yo, sis. What's up?"

Sandy pulled part of the headphones away from her brother's ear. Leaning in, she whispered, "Like, is everything ready for Operation Sunflower?"

"Come on," Stan chastised, his voice mockingly insulted, "how could you ever doubt me?"

Sandy appeared unamused. "Stan, this is serious."

The brother sat upright, his tone now more genuine. "Don't worry, sis." He held up a black disc. The record gleamed in the light. "I've got the music right here. Everything's gonna go just like you planned."

The girlham let out a breath of relief. "Thanks, bro."

"No prob," Stan responded. Then, with a gleam in his eye, "But you do realize you owe me one for this?"

"Ha! How about I just keep my mouth shut about a certain brother of mine trying on my tail-ribbon?"

"Hey! That's not fair! My tail was just, uh, cold!"

"Yeah right, Stan. In the summer?" She smiled triumphantly.

Stan seemed to shrink, beaten. "Alright… you win. Man, blackmailing's so uncool…"

* * *

"Hey, Hamtaro," Cappy greeted, sounded somewhat grumpy.

The cream and orange ham regarded his two friends with concern. "What's wrong guys?"

Before Panda could offer up a word, Cappy's mouth was off like a racehorse. "I was walking to the clubhouse but then before I could go down into the tunnels Panda stopped me and said that I couldn't go to the clubhouse but I want to see our friends and hang out with everybody today but then Panda started pushing me down the road and—"

"Slow down, Cappy!" Hamtaro urged, looking confused. "So Panda won't let you go to the clubhouse?"

The cap-loving ham nodded.

Hamtaro placed a paw under his chin, thinking. "That's weird. Oxnard didn't want me going to see the Ham-Hams today either." All focus turned upon the gray-spotted hamster.

He began to sweat with worry, finally offering, "Uh, well that's b-because, uh, Panda! Yeah! Panda asked me to get you two for him, _right_?"

The carpenter-ham fidgeted with his paws, suddenly thrust into the spotlight. _Gee, thanks a lot Oxnard_. However, as Panda quickly glanced at the sunflower seed carrying ham, there was a look plastered upon the poor guy's face that seemed to read "HELP ME!"

Panda turned his attention to finding an excuse. Not a lie—just something to keep them all busy for the rest of the day to leave their friends free to plan the birthday dance. "Yeah… see, I need you and Cappy to…" Then an idea clicked in Panda's brain.

"I need you guys to help me with a special building project for the clubhouse." Panda lowered his voice. "But it's going to be a surprise, so we couldn't ask you in front of all the other Ham-Hams."

Hamtaro and Cappy's faces brightened up, intrigued. Oxnard simply looked relieved.

"That sounds like fun!" exclaimed the cream and orange ham.

Cappy jumped up and down in anticipation. "You can count on me, Panda!"

The black and white ham beamed at his friends' corporation. It wasn't a lie really. The carpenter-ham could think of a dozen projects that he'd like to accomplish off the top of his head. As long as it kept Hamtaro and Cappy away from the clubhouse today, did it really matter?

"Thanks, you guys."

"So where do we start?" Oxnard pitched in.

Panda began walking down the path. "All my building supplies and tools are at my house. Let's go work on it there."

The other three gave an exuberant cheer and followed after the carpenter-ham.

* * *

Maxwell flipped patiently through his book, _Two Left Paws: A Hamster's Guide to Slow Dancing_. The right-handed page laid out detailed instructions while the opposite displayed a graceful illustration of two hamsters twirling around a dance floor.

The bookworm was just about to dive in, when a familiar voice greeted, "Hey, Maxy. Like, what are you reading?"

The brown furred hamster turned and beamed at Sandy. "I was just educating myself on the proper way to slow dance," he informed with a blush.

Sandy's cheeks warmed as she pictured a confident Maxwell twirling her around the clubhouse, just like a prince and princess. "I know a lot of cool new ham-dances. We should totally practice before the birthday dance!"

"That sounds fantastic!" agreed the bookworm. Maxwell closed his book and stood up. Suddenly a thought hit him. "Hey, Sandy?"

"Yeah, Maxy?"

"Maybe we all should practice. I'm sure the other Ham-Hams would like to have a refresher course."

Sandy's eyes shone. "That's a great idea! You're so smart, Maxy-poo."

The brown hamster blushed at the compliment. Sandy athletically jumped onto a stool and loudly declared, "Hey everyone! Like, listen up!"

The entire clubhouse diverted their attention from their tasks to stare at the tiger striped girlham. "Maxwell and I decided that we could all use a little dance lesson before the party!"

The bookworm nodded, but added, "I'm sure that most of you can dance just fine, but a refresher course never hurt anyham. So everybody, please gather around and pay close attention now."

The hamsters turned to one another, chatting energetically amongst themselves. All were eager to learn some new dance steps, or at least improve on old skills. Dexter and Howdy immediately began arguing over who would be Pashmina's partner. Boss glanced determinedly in Bijou's direction. _Now's my chance to impress Bijou!_ However, the French girlham spoke up.

"Excusez moi," Bijou genuinely inquired, "but vat about Hamtaro and Cappy? Should zey not receive ze dance lessons as vell?"

In a heartbeat, Stan appeared at Sandy's side. Leaning in close, he silently whispered, "She's right, sis. How's Operation Sunflower supposed to work if Hamtaro doesn't even know how to dance?"

The tiger striped girlham sighed. This would be a problem. Sandy tried to form a solution, but luckily her boyfriend thought of one first.

"You're absolutely right, Bijou," Maxwell stated knowingly. "But I think I have a plan."

* * *

"Panda," Hamtaro inquired, a twang of concern in his good-hearted voice, "are you sure you don't need any help?"

The carpenter-ham emerged from underneath his family's traditional Japanese-styled home, straining as he pulled steadily at the rope fastened around his building wood. "Don't worry, Hamtaro. I've got it." The hamster artisan had already precut the wood into planks of various lengths and sizes. Panda had always stored his construction materials under the house; the carpenter-ham dragged them out verily often. He smiled sheepishly. Pursuing his love of woodcraft had certainly earned him some muscle.

_Not enough muscle to make it easy, though,_ Panda silently remarked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Hamtaro eagerly handled a hammer from Panda's toolbox. Cappy and Oxnard already began to remove some of the wooden planks from the top of the stack. _Huh,_ the carpenter speculated, observing his friends' gusto, _maybe we'll actually get this done…_

"What's the plan, Panda?"

"Well, I've been thinking for a while now that the clubhouse needs a new door."

Cappy set down the plank and adjusted his green swimmer's cap. "You know, now that you mention it, that door has been looking pretty rotten recently."

"Exactly." Panda smiled reassuringly. "It's because it's been down in the moist tunnels all this time. Eventually, it has to be replaced. So I figured, why not build one?" Truthfully, Panda had wanted to begin work on the project yesterday. But with all the planning and decorating for Hamtaro and Cappy's party, all his friends had been too busy to help. Still, the carpenter-ham was unsure if Oxnard, Cappy, and Hamtaro would take to his proposal…

"That's a great idea, Panda!" voiced an excited Oxnard.

Panda beamed. They really liked his plan. "Just think how happy it'll make everyone," he continued to assure.

But the carpenter-ham didn't need to convince them anymore. All three were sold on the concept. Yearning to help out his fellow Ham-Hams, Hamtaro raised his paw, and the hammer it grasped, enthusiastically into the air. "What are we waiting for? Show us what to do Panda."

And with that comment, the four friends launched themselves into construction. Panda directed, reading from plans and measurements predetermined days earlier. Oxnard carefully cut the wooden planks according to the carpenter-ham's detailed instructions, the small hamster-sized saw buzzing easily through the timber. Cappy, much to everybody's surprise, displayed excellent skill with sanding. Unable to convince an enthusiastic Hamtaro from putting down the hammer, Panda put the cream and orange ham to work nailing the boards together.

Seven discarded bent nails later, their project was complete. The four hams stood back, admiring their work. "Wow, you guys," congratulated an awe-struck Panda, "we really did a great job."

The door appeared a perfect replica of it's replacement. "It looks just like the old one!" exclaimed a jubilant Cappy.

"Yeah, Panda! You really know your stuff!" Hamtaro beamed proudly at his friend. Then, the amber-eyed hamster gazed back again at their handiwork. He could already picture the surprised, yet happy, faces of the Ham-Hams, especially Boss, who would, technically, be receiving a new door for his home. "Alright, so when can we show the Ham-Hams?"

Panda rubbed his chin. "Well, all we really need to do now is paint it. But I can take care of that in the next few days. Afterall, shouldn't you guys be getting home soon?"

While the hamsters had diligently worked, the world began steadily taking on a warm orange hue as the sun slowly waned towards the horizon. Now, the glowing orb was sinking beyond the skyline, bringing its warmth and radiating light to another land. Laura would be coming back from shopping soon, and Hamtaro knew he would have to run home quickly. Still, the cream and orange ham couldn't help but stare at that fantastic sunset for a few more moments, taking in it's luminescent fire with his amber eyes.

"Well," Cappy broke the silence, "I better get going before Kip and Sue notice I'm gone."

Oxnard added, "I hope Kana's not worried about me."

The three hams said their good-byes to Panda, who returned their departing remarks with his own. "Bye Hamtaro! See ya Oxnard! Later Cappy!"

After his friends walked off out of sight, Panda turned back around to look again at their completed project. The door really was well made, perfectly put together, just as the carpenter had pictured with his mind's eye. As with all his work, Panda felt a surge of pride course through him. Still beaming, the black and white ham slowly slid the finished door underneath his house with the rest of the supplies.

However, just as Panda readied himself to jump up into his owner's home, his ears picked up a muted voice, whispering, "Ppppppppsssssssttt! Panda! Over here!"

Slightly startled, the carpenter-ham collaborated, slowly and cautiously making his way over to the tall grass from which the sound resonated. "Hello?" Panda nervously volunteered. "Is anybody there?"

Without warning, Maxwell materialized out of the green blades of grass, book under arm. Panda instantly relaxed, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Sorry for the secrecy, Panda. The last thing we wanted was for Hamtaro or Cappy to see us."

Panda looked puzzled. "What do you mean by 'The last thing _we_ wanted'?"

As if on cue, Sandy, too, stepped out from the cover. "Like, hey Panda."

"Hamha, Sandy. What are you and Maxwell doing here?"

The bookworm gave his friend a reassuring smile, then explained, "We have a slight change in plans for tomorrow."

"A change?" Panda inquired.

"Yeah," continued Sandy, "tomorrow you don't, like, have to distract Hamtaro or Cappy."

_Phew, that's a load off my mind,_ thought a grateful Panda. Then, as an afterthought: _But I did have some more projects I'd like help on…_

The carpenter-ham nodded. "Alright, that sounds fine. But then whose going to make sure they don't go to the clubhouse?"

Maxwell and Sandy gave each other an excited look. "No worries, Panda," assured the tiger striped girlham.

"We have a plan," the pair said in unison.

* * *

**If anybody could give me some tips with Bijou's accent, I'd be greatful. I'll post the second chapter soon. Reviews are always appreciated, and as always, thank you for reading. **

**Next chapter: Another dream, and Hamtaro can't remember anything about it. Who can help our hero with his dream crisis? Also, Penelope gets a new playmate as the Ham-Hams continue to prepare for the birthday dance. With preparations almost complete, the hams are right on schedule with only one day left. Everything appears to be going perfectly. What could go wrong? **


	3. Dancing and Dreaming

**Thank you Awsomewriter123 for being my first, and so far only, reviewer. I'm glad you appear to be enjoying it so far. I do not write for reviews, but they certainly help push me along. So, in short, I appreciate it. **

**This chapter is dedicated to you, Awsomewriter123. **

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* * *

_

The visitor tenderly held the babyham as Yuki looked on comfortably. The amber-eyed hamster felt like a giant, so proud and happy with his son in his arms.

He's so fragile… so innocent…

_Turning to Yuki, he stated, "We have to let Ayuko give Hamtaro to that student of hers…" His face, which moments ago had appeared a beacon of happiness, had turned somber and serious, the words terribly difficult to say. "He has to be safe," the ham's voice cracked._

_Yuki rose from her seat, a warm tear glistening down her white cheek. She touched her love and kissed his cheek. "I know." Her tone changed to one of assurance, though the visitor could still sense Yuki's sadness. "I've been watching the girl Ayuko wants to give Hamtaro to. Her name's Laura Haruna. She's polite, kind, and helpful. She'll love him." _

_"I know…"_

_In the amber-eyed visitor's arms, baby Hamtaro giggled, pushing on his father's chest. The visitor laughed back, holding his son aloft above his head. "Look at him, Yuki!" he boastfully exclaimed. "If he's this cute now, imagine all the girlhams that'll be chasing after him in a few years!" He crackled triumphantly, his son obliviously lost in laughter while held upward. Yuki merely sighed in embarrassment before rapping her paw across her love's ears. She took her son from his father's paws, cradling him as baby Hamtaro yawned. _

_"Time for another nap," she chimed as the babyham closed his eyes. Yuki looked up at the visitor, who was staring intently at his son, a tired smile curling his mouth. The white-furred motherham couldn't help but marvel at how telling that look was. _

_Deep inside her amber-eyed love's mind, Yuki knew the visitor was realizing that this babyham was already more important to him than his own life. _

_The visitor stood in front of Yuki and Hamtaro for a while. He listened to the silence of the kindergarten classroom. _

_Then, the white furred motherham offered their son back to the amber-eyed visitor, who gingerly accepted. Baby Hamtaro, mind now nearly clouded over with slumber, opened one paw and touched his father's nose. _

_The visitor smiled. Yuki snuggled up against her love's deep orange colored fur. He returned her schmubby-wubby and the earth turned around them. _

_The world became a tiny point of blue light that turned and moved with the breath of angels._

_The fatherham stood, cradling his son. _

Hamtaro awoke to the blaring repetitive ringing of Laura's alarm clock. His head was foggy and it took a minute for the cream and orange ham to snap back into reality. Hamtaro blinked.

The sky forecasted another spectacular day; the sun shown effortlessly into Laura's bedroom through the glass window. Hamtaro rubbed his head. He had the oddest feeling, like he couldn't remember something important. The amber-eyed Ham-Ham wrinkled his brow trying to recall. However, he was interrupted by a sleepy greeting.

"Good morning, Hamtaro," Laura yawned. She stretched. "It looks like it's going to be another nice day outside."

_You bet, Laura. But do you know what it is I can't remember?_

"I had the weirdest dream last night. There was this banana and—"

Hamtaro didn't hear the rest. _A dream? Maybe that's what I can't remember! A dream!_

"Laura!" came the muffled call of his owner's mother. "Hurry up and come downstairs for breakfast!"

"Ok, mom!" Laura shouted in response. It was a practiced routine. She offered a sunflower seed between the bars of Hamtaro's cage, who graciously accepted the meal. "I'll be back in a little bit, ok?"

_Don't worry about me, Laura, _thought the cream and orange ham as he nibbled off the seed's shell. His mind raced, trying to remember his forgotten dream. His owner gave him a warm smile, then vanished out the bedroom door.

A short hour later, Laura had eaten, gotten ready, dressed, and was out the door to visit her best friend Kana, who also happened to be Oxnard's owner.

_Maybe the Ham-Hams can help me remember,_ the cream and orange ham pondered. But which one of his friends would know about dreams? The answer came fast as lightning. _Maxwell! He would know! He knows everything!_

Easily slipping out of his cage door, Hamtaro jumped down from the tabletop, landing neatly upon the wooden floor. After scurrying out of his hidden exit hole behind Laura's bed, the cream and orange ham shot down the drainpipe as if greased with butter, and followed it up by sticking a graceful landing on top of Brandy's head. The brown furred dog opened its white muzzle in a yawn, causing Hamtaro to tumble off.

"Goodmorning, Brandy!" chortled the friendly ham, to which he received another sleepy yawn in response. The dog had never been much for greetings.

Nonetheless, the hamster gave his canine friend a warm smile before trotting off. "Catchya on the flip side, Brandy!"

* * *

Boss gave Oxnard a look of warning. He had spent all morning setting up the food table and he wasn't about to let the gray-spotted hamster ruin it. "If you take even one sunflower seed, Oxnard, I swear I'll—"

"Oh, Boss!" came a familiar French accent. "You 'ave done such a vonderful job vith ze food."

The field hamster nervously rubbed the back of his head as he watched Bijou walk over. "T-Thanks, Bijou," he responded sheepishly. "I'm p-pretty good at decorating. Parties, dances, you name it."

Bijou nodded, causing her sapphire ribbons to bounce. "Zen ve are all very lucky to 'ave you, Boss."

He laughed over-modestly, face displaying a crimson flush. Oxnard used the field hamster's absent mindedness to sneak a sunflower seed from the table.

"Bijou?" called Pashmina from across the clubhouse. She was balancing on top of a ladder trying to adjust a large banner that read "Happy Birthday Hamtaro & Cappy!" The scarf wearing girlham seemed to be having some difficulty. "Would you mind giving me a paw over here?"

Bijou quickly made her way over to help out her friend. Boss dreamily stared after her.

This birthday dance would be the perfect opportunity for him to confess his feelings for the French girlham. Boss could picture it now: they would be slow dancing together upon the dance floor. He would confess to her and she would eagerly return his feelings. It would be perfect, and with the dance moves that he learned from Maxwell and Sandy yesterday, his plan couldn't fail. But then, like an ominous cloud, an obstacle filled his mind. _Hamtaro…_

Boss had a suspicious notion that Bijou might have some feelings for the cream and orange hamster. But the field hamster dismissed this with a laugh. Hamtaro was one of his best friends! _He'd never betray me like that._

Besides, Hamtaro was far too naïve when it came to love. Boss was smart enough to understand that the cream and orange boyham was not oblivious to the concept of love entire. Hamtaro was just incredibly thick skinned about it sometimes. _Maybe one day,_ Boss silently reflected, _that little guy will understand the way love feels, but for now…_

Boss was certain that Bijou and him were meant to be.

* * *

Hamtaro marched onward, progress uninterrupted. The warm summer sun had already made the dew evaporate from the blades of grass. There was an abundance of birdcalls in the air.

The cream and orange ham was eager to see if Maxwell could help him with his dream crisis. But keener than this, Hamtaro was looking forward to seeing his friends again. For some reason, the amber-eyed boyham felt especially bad about not getting to see Bijou. The hamster didn't think much of it. The French girlham was one of his best friends. Why shouldn't he want to see her?

Then, suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Hamtaro! Wait up!"

_Wait… didn't something like this happen yesterday? _His thoughts were cut short as Sandy sprinted up to him. "Hey, Sandy!"

The tiger-striped girlham responded with similar enthusiasm. "Like, hey Hamtaro! What's up?"

"I was just heading to the clubhouse to visit the Ham-Hams," the boyham informed while gesturing towards the park. "Do you want to come?"

"The clubhouse? Naw, you don't wanna go to the club house." Sandy did her best to sound convincing.

Hamtaro gave her a confused stare. "Heke? I don't?"

Sandy could barely contain a triumphant grin. Sometimes Hamtaro's naivete sure helped out. "Nope. The fan, like, stopped working yesterday, and you know how hot it can get down there in the summer."

"Hmmm, I guess that's true." Hamtaro still looked concerned. "But I really wanted to see all our friends today."

"Well," Sandy pressed, trying her best to sound innocent, "Maxy and me were going to practice some dance moves today. He went out earlier to see if any of the other Hams, like, wanted to come along." She turned towards Hamtaro. "Hey! Why don't you come, Hamtaro? It will be super cool and fun, I swear!"

The boyham didn't need long to consider the offer. "Sure! That sounds great!" exclaimed the ever-excited Hamtaro. _Plus,_ he silently reminded himself, _if Maxwell is going to be there, I can ask him about my dream._

* * *

"Ookee?"

"I'm sorry, Penelope, but I can't play right now," replied a distracted Pashmina. The scarf-loving hamster was perched perilously atop a ladder, both paws griping the "Happy Birthday Hamtaro & Cappy" banner like a vice. Meanwhile, Bijou balanced on the other side, doing her best to level her end of the unruly decoration.

Penelope's eyes turned towards the floor, disheartened.

Pashmina tried her best to reassure her young friend. "Don't worry, Penelope. I'm sure one of our friends would like to play with you. Why not go ask Howdy and Dexter?"

"Ookee…" came the downhearted reply. The young blanket-wearing Ham-Ham wandered off around the clubhouse in search of a playmate.

First, she decided to take Pashmina's advice and ask Howdy or Dexter. However, the two were grumbling back and forth to one another, and Penelope knew more than well that this would eventually lead to an argument, quickly followed by a fight, and Penelope always found their fights to be a little bit scary. So, the young hamgirl kept looking.

Stan, once again at the turntable, was listening to music too loud for Penelope's taste. Boss was trying desperately to keep Oxnard from eating every last sunflower for tomorrow's party. Sandy and Maxwell were out teaching Hamtaro and Cappy to dance. Snoozer, of course, was fast asleep…

"Hey, Penelope. What are you doing?"

The hamgirl turned around to see a kind-faced Panda, sitting with his back up against the wall, his eyes temporarily diverted from a pile of old papers.

Penelope smiled and walked over to the craftsham. "Ookyo ookyo?" she asked, indicating the aged papers.

"Huh?" Panda looked down at the pieces of parchment spread out around his paws. "Oh, these." He smiled at the young hamgirl. "I was going through the attic in my house last night and came across these blueprints." Upon the scrolls were sketched shapes and measurements and instructions that Penelope couldn't read. Panda's eyes narrowed and his paw raised upward to scratch his chin as he studied the blueprints again. "I think," he continued, "they might be instructions on how to build some sort of hamster home."

"Ookwee!" the blanket-covered hamgirl suddenly exclaimed while running off to a far corner of the clubhouse.

"What? Penelope, where are you going…?" Panda watched in rapt amazement as the young hamgirl energetically pulled a sack easily the size of her body across the room.

Stopping beside the carpenter-ham, Penelope indicated the bag. She reached inside and pulled out a small building block. Placing it down upon the clubhouse floor, she pulled out another and set it atop the first. "Ookyo!" she exclaimed.

Panda beamed. "That's a great idea!" The boyham reached his paw into the bag only for it to emerge holding one of the blocks. "We can build our own hamster houses!"

Penelope gave an "Ookwee" in agreement before pouring the bag out onto the floor. The two hamsters joyfully began construction.

* * *

"I'm not sure that I can do this…" remarked an unsure Cappy. The hat loving Ham-Ham had just watched Sandy demonstrate a dance whose paw-work appeared way too complicated to be considered fun. They were atop the counter in the bookstore, which Maxwell's owners managed.

At Cappy's side, Hamtaro was trying his best to learn and memorize the complex dance moves. The cream and orange ham sure seemed more willing than his friend. "Come on, Cappy," he remarked encouragingly while simultaneously tripping over his own paws. "I'm sure we can get it if we keep at it."

"That's the spirit, Hamtaro," cheered Maxwell. "Why, I believe it was Publilius Syrus, a Roman author, who once said 'Practice is the best of all instructors.'" The bookworm was glad that Sandy and him had managed to get both Hamtaro and Cappy before either one could reach the clubhouse and ruin the birthday surprise. Tomorrow was August 6th, and it would have been horrible to have all of their secret preparations discovered the day before the party.

"Hey, Maxwell?" asked Cappy. "Where are all the other Ham-Hams?"

The bookworm put on the most inconspicuous face he could muster. "Oh, I, uh, went to their houses, but I think their owners must have taken them out for the day. I couldn't find anybody."

"What about Boss?" inquired Hamtaro.

Maxwell didn't have a response ready for this. Luckily, Sandy was on the ball. "I, like, checked the clubhouse before I found you this morning. Nobody was there except for Snoozer, and there is no way I could have made him budge."

"Huh, I wonder where everybody went?"

"Beats me," replied Cappy.

"Alright, guys," Sandy interrupted, hoping to change the subject, "we've, like, gone over some new dances. Now, it's time for your two to learn how to slow dance."

Both Hamtaro and Cappy looked at their instructors with curiosity. "Slow dance?"

"That's correct," Maxwell confirmed. He cracked open one of his books and began reading out loud. "Slow dancing is a type of dance whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually in a non-coordinated manner, and as opposed to groups of hamsters dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner. Dance partners stay together for the duration of the dance and, most often, dance independently of other couples dancing at the same time, if any."

Hamtaro blinked perplexed while remarking "Heke?" while Cappy resorted to kush-kushing.

"Maybe it would be best if we showed them," Sandy suggested.

"You're probably right…" remarked Maxwell, slightly embarrassed. The bookworm offered his paw to Sandy, who accepted it with a blush. Without another word, the pair began swaying back and forth across the countertop. Hamtaro and Cappy tried their best to pay close attention. "You see," Maxwell commented, "One of the partners, typically the boyham, is the leader. The other, typically the girlham, is the follower. As a rule, they maintain contact with each other."

"You're forgetting something, Maxy. When slow dancing, how close you get to your partner is, like, completely up to you," Sandy reminded with a wink, causing Maxwell to swallow hard.

"T-That's right, Sandy."

"Not sure if I like it…" Cappy shyly remarked while adjusting his green swimmer's hat.

"Hmmm… well it can't be too bad, can it?" Hamtaro asked, trying to put the best spin on things. He had to admit this would have been a lot easier if more of the Ham-Hams were here. After all, who were Cappy and him going to practice with if none of the girlhams were around?

"Ok, you two," Maxwell instructed. "Now get into position just like Sandy and me are."

"Wait! What?!" Cappy's eyes nearly shot out of his head. "Hamtaro and me have to dance with each other?!"

"Like, of course." Sandy made it sound obvious. "Maxwell and me are demonstrating how it's done, so who else are you going to practice with?"

Hamtaro and Cappy exchanged uneasy looks.

"Grow up, guys," the tiger striped girlham scolded. "Seriously."

Clumsily, grudgingly, the pair took position and began trying to mimic Sandy and Maxwell.

* * *

"I think you, like, finally got it," Sandy stated with obvious pride. It had taken them most of the afternoon, but she felt confident that both Hamtaro and Cappy could now stand on their own two paws when it came to dancing. _Perfect,_ the girlham congratulated herself, _Operation Sunflower is going to work out just right._

"And it's a good thing, too," Maxwell remarked while glancing out the bookstore's windows. "It's almost sunset. You three should be getting back to your owners soon, correct?"

All the ham's attention turned towards the sky, which was beginning a transition from a light blue hue to a warm orange. If they didn't get home promptly, their humans would be bound to notice they were missing. Sandy and Cappy hopped down from the counter. Maxwell called down after them, "Hold on, Sandy, I'll walk you home." But before the bookworm could jump, Hamtaro suddenly remembered he hadn't asked Maxwell about his dream crisis yet.

"Maxwell!" the cream and orange ham cried. "Wait!" The brown hamster nearly fell over in surprise. Hamtaro nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry…"

Maxwell sighed. "It's ok, Hamtaro. What is it?"

The ham's amber-eyes displayed uneasiness. "Maxwell, can you tell me anything about dreams?"

"Dreams?" The bookworm lifted a paw up to his chin. His gaze turned downward towards the countertop. Finally, he replied, "Dreams are the images, thoughts, and feelings experienced while sleeping. They are usually strongly associated with rapid eye movement. However, the contents and biological purposes of dreams are not fully understood, though they have been a topic of speculation and interest throughout history."

Hamtaro's face sunk. "So you can't tell me anything?"

Maxwell frowned. "I'm sorry, Hamtaro. I hate to say it, but I just don't know. Why?"

"I think I had a dream, but I can't remember what it was about or anything."

The bookworm scratched his chin again, deep in thought. "Well…"

Hamtaro's ears perked up.

"Well, it _has_ been suggested that dreams are recurring images brought about by long-term memory."

"Heke?" Hamtaro didn't understand a word.

Maxwell modestly explained. "What I mean is: some people believe that dreams are actually long lost memories and, if we can remember them, they can lead to many things we could not have remembered otherwise."

_Memories…_

So maybe his dreams were trying to tell him something? "Huh, thanks, Maxwell." The cream and orange ham gave his friend a smile.

The bookworm returned the grin. "Anytime, Hamtaro."

The four hams left the shop and said their good-byes before splitting up; Cappy and Sandy one way, with Maxwell walking the girlham home, and Hamtaro traveling another.

Somewhat tired from his dance lesson and not wanting to run the whole way, the cream and orange ham opted to try a shortcut back to Laura's house. Although the summer day had been hot, a gentle breeze now blew through the afternoon air, caressing Hamtaro's fur as he walked homeward. He almost slipped down a wrong turn twice, but managed to get back on track. At least, Hamtaro thought he was.

_Wait a second… where am I again?_

Wherever he was, the homes around this neighborhood were very nice. Some even had small walls circling their perimeters with regal fences and even cascading fountains. Then, before Hamtaro knew it, realization hit him like the hammer he had used to pound nails yesterday. The amber-eyed ham had somehow turned up in front of Bijou's mansion.

What's more, Hamtaro had no idea _how_ he had arrived here exactly.

_Note to self,_ the boyham observed with a hint of annoyance, _never try any new shortcuts._

_Still_, he reflected while looking towards the western sky, _this isn't so bad. _Off in the distance, lazily sinking below the horizon, was a breathtaking sunset. Hamtaro observed it with shinning eyes. They sure had had some pretty fantastic sunsets recently.

What was it about sundown that always made Hamtaro feel so… warm? So comfortable? And, more importantly, did it really matter?

The cream and orange ham decided that he still had time to spare before getting back home. Without wasting another moment, Hamtaro seated himself us against the mansion's gate, his back resting against the iron bars. His amber eyes gladly took in the magnificent scene.

* * *

Bijou felt a sense of accomplishment as she walked home. Everything was ready for the birthday dance. It had been close, and some had feared that they would have to work into the night, but in the end all they could do to prepare had been done. And with Hamtaro and Cappy's birthdays tomorrow, it was a good thing, too!

The French hamgirl wondered how the two soon-to-be birthday boys had faired with their dance lesson. When Sandy and Maxwell had given the other Ham-Hams theirs, Bijou had been pleasantly surprised by how quickly she had been able to grasp the movements and footwork. She wondered if Hamtaro had turned out to be any good at dancing… and if she would have the courage to find out tomorrow.

Bijou turned the corner onto her street. As she walked down the sidewalk, she marveled at how well you could make out the sunset and at the pleasant light it cast upon the world.

_Huh, that's odd_, thought the white-furred girlham as she neared her house. There was something orange near the mansion's gate. And as she drew closer, she realized that it wasn't just something but someone, and that someone was…

"Bonjour, Hamtaro!" the French ham called as she quickly made her way over to the hamster sitting against the gate.

He looked at her, and his surprised expression was hurriedly replaced by a natural smile. Hamtaro stood up, his voice full of joy as he greeted, "Bijou! I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?"

Bijou beamed at him as she strode up. "I am good, Hamtaro, zank you for asking. How 'ave you been?"

Hamtaro gave the girlham another enduring smile. "Pretty good. Sandy and Maxwell were offering some dance lessons today. It was fun, but it would have been better if you and the rest of the Ham-Hams had come."

"Uh, oui, I suppose ve vere all busy today," she responded, thinking on her feet. "So," Bijou inquired in an attempt to change the subject, "vat is it you vere doing?"

"Oh yeah." The cream and orange hamster turned his gaze back to the horizon. His amber eyes sparkled with the light of the sunset and made warmth fill Bijou's cheeks. "I tried to take a shortcut home, but somehow wound up here at your house. When I saw the sunset, I decided to sit down for a little bit and, well, enjoy it."

Bijou turned and watched the sunset with him. "Oui, it is beautiful, non?" The French girlham blinked. Everything was so perfect—the sunset, the slight warm breeze, him and her. Maybe this was the moment to tell him about her feelings…

"Hamtaro?"

The cream and orange ham looked at her. "Yeah, Bijou?"

And with that, all of the girlham's courage fled. She rubbed her paws together nervously. "Uh… vell… nevermind."

"Heke?" He tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner, causing Bijou's heart to melt. "Are you ok, Bijou?"

She gave him a nervous smile. "Oui, Hamtaro. Do not vorry. I just… I just forgot vat I vas going to tell you." She thought: _What are you doing? You sound like an idiot! Just tell him…_

His continence appeared worried for a second. Then he smiled. "That's alright," the boyham naively replied. "You know you can tell me anything, so just tell me when you remember."

Bijou fought to hide her blushing cheeks. "Zank you, Hamtaro."

"No sweat, Bijou."

The pair sat together, bathed in orange twilight.

* * *

The door to Hamtaro's cage slid shut just as Laura came bursting into her room. She appeared to be in a good mood. Around her forearm, swaying back and forth, dangled a shopping bag. "I'm back, Hamtaro!" she greeted.

Hamtaro looked up at his owner and flashed an innocent smile. _That was a close one…_

"Sorry I'm late," Laura apologized. "I had dinner over at Kana's house after we finished shopping. We were playing with her hamster Oxnard." She gave him a teasing smile. "I'm sure glad you don't eat as much as him. I'd have to spend all my allowance on vegi-o's and sunflower seeds!"

"Oh yeah," she suddenly stated, holding up the shopping bag. "You'll never guess what I bought for you today!"

Hamtaro's ears perked up in excitement. _You got me something? What is it?_

His owner waved a finger at her curious pet. "Not so fast, Hamtaro." Laura walked over to her bookcase and placed the bag upon a high shelf. "It's a surprise for tomorrow," she informed with a wink. "So you're just going to have to wait."

_Heke? Tomorrow?_ Hamtaro racked his brain. _What's so special about tomorrow?_ Before the cream and orange ham could ponder further, he let out a massive yawn. He was more tired than he thought. _Well, you did have a busy day…_

Heavy eyelids eased over tired amber eyes. Before he knew it, the hamster had drifted off into slumber upon the soft woodshavings of his cage. His owner quietly tiptoed over to her sleeping pet.

"Goodnight, Hamtaro," she faintly whispered. "Sweet dreams."

The girl thought she heard a faint murmur in reply. She smiled before starting to get ready for bed herself.

* * *

**Thus concludes the second chapter. Look for the third chapter sometime this upcoming weekend (give or take). Hopefully I'll get some more reviews, but I'm not crossing any fingers. **

**Regardless, thank you for reading. :)**

**Next Chapter: Hamtaro meets someone who might know why he's having such odd dreams. Plus, it's Hamtaro and Cappy's birthday, and, with a festive birthday dance planned, it looks like it's going to be a good one! However, when a certain ham's anger gets the best of him, will Hamtaro lose all the friends he has come to care for?**


	4. Trickles of the Past

**Hello, everyone. I know, I know... I haven't on this site in a long time (whether it's reading, reviewing, or writing). Any excuse I could give would be just that- an excuse. And I really don't like making excuses for myself. So all I can say is that I am sorry. I hope that all of you who have read this story will be able to forgive me and keep reading. **

**I'm actually a little excited. In this chapter I get to introduce and give you all a brief glimpse of my favorite OC. **

**Well without further ado, here's the third chapter. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hamtaro, Dexter and Howdy would fight with giant rubber mallets. **

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* * *

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This is how it feels to be Hamtaro, right now:

You have just woken up. As your groggy and tired eyes adjust to the bright morning light streaming in from the bedroom window, you can make out a familiar face in front of your cage.

It is your owner, Laura, giving you a fond and friendly smile. She looks like she has news she can barely contain. She softly asks, "Goodmorning, Hamtaro. Do you know what day it is today?"

And your mind begins to race as you try to recall the significance of this date. Was something important supposed to happen? Or maybe it's just Friday…

Apparently, your confusion is written plain upon your features, because Laura's smile broadens and she says, "It's August sixth, silly."

You still don't get it.

"It's your birthday, Hamtaro."

Now you feel stupid.

Of course it's your birthday! How could you forget? Well, ok, you didn't remember last year either, but still. Then you remember that if it's your birthday, that means it's Cappy's birthday too, and that just makes it all the better.

Laura opens your cage and you hop out into the warm palm of her hand. She walks over to her bookcase and pulls down the shopping bag from last night. Reaching in, she produces a smaller bag, which seems to be filled with sunflower seeds coated in a strange, sticky substance.

"It's hamster candy," she explains, and she gives you a piece. "Normal candy would make you sick, but yesterday Kana and I found this at the candy store. The owner said that it wouldn't hurt hamsters. They even gave one to their hamster and he ate it right in front of us." (AN: Thanks go to Awesomewriter123 for letting me borrow his idea of hamster candy)

You take an experimental bite. It's delicious! So, you finish it and lick the sweet and sticky remains from your paws while Laura gives you another smile and wishes you a happy birthday.

Next, she pulls down a large, square photo album. You remember it from your last birthday. She flips to the picture of a young kindergartner holding a small babyham in her hand; the first time Laura and you met. Upon the opposite page is another picture of baby you snuggled up against a white-furred, sky-blue eyed girlham. You know this hamster.

She is your mommy, Yuki.

Even upon the paper, her fur looks so soft and warm. Her eyes are filled with unmatched kindness. You regret that you never, truly, knew her, and at the same time you are suddenly aware of how little you know about your mother. You were given to Laura by her kindergarten teacher, and you cannot recall much before then.

Abruptly, it also occurs to you that last night you had another dream. But this time is different. This time, you can remember something from it.

Yuki was there. Your mom was in your dream. What could this mean?

Laura's mom calls from downstairs. "Coming, Mom!" she responds.

Your owner gives you a bittersweet smile. "Sorry I can't stay and celebrate with you more, but mom's taking me back-to-school shopping. They always start the sales so early…"

And so she lowers you back down before your cage door. After you jump inside, she gives you another piece of hamster candy and another smile, which you return generously.

"Goodbye, Hamtaro! Happy birthday!"

* * *

Another warm summer day awaited Hamtaro as he slid out from the drainpipe. Brandy, as usual, remained asleep and seemed not to notice the hamster, despite his greeting. But the dog's lack of acknowledgement had little effect on the Ham-Ham. In fact, Hamtaro's greeting was less genuine than days previous.

Hamtaro was distracted. He kept thinking about these dreams that continued to float around in his head every night. Why was his mom in them?

The cream and orange hamster began wondering where his mommy was. Tsurara, the white-furred ham who stayed with Laura's old kindergarten teacher, had told him that Ayuko had always said that his mother was some place far away. But where was this far away place exactly? Hamtaro felt an emptiness creep into his chest.

The amber-eyed ham continued pondering as he made his way to the clubhouse to visit his friends, and it wasn't long until he found himself at the entrance to the park, where he nearly failed to notice an excited looking white-furred hamgirl waiting for him.

"Bonjour, Hamtaro!" Bijou exclaimed. "And 'appy birthday!" The French hamgirl was very grateful that the other hams had agreed to let her be the one to meet Hamtaro at the park entrance. Boss, for some reason, had seemed oddly against it, but he had relented, and Bijou was more than delighted to be the first of them to wish the amber-eyed boyham a happy birthday. And yet, at her voice, Hamtaro seemed to have snapped out of a prison of thoughts and troubled wonderings. Something, Bijou could tell, was off.

"Huh? Oh, hamha Bijou. Thanks." The cream and orange hamster sounded less than enthused.

"Hamtaro," Bijou inquired, worried. "Iz zomething wrong?"

The boyham gave her a small smile while rubbing the back of his head with a gentle paw. "Uh, nope. Not at all! Don't worry, Bijou. It's nothing."

However, Bijou had observed that same smile on more than one occasion and knew exactly what it was: an evasive tactic. Something was wrong, she was sure, and Hamtaro was trying to pass it off as nothing so as not to spoil her good mood. He had always valued other's happiness above his own. It was one of the reasons Bijou was so drawn to the amber-eyed hamster, but it could prove troublesome and annoying sometimes. And, deeper still, it hurt the white-furred hamgirl knowing that after all this time, Hamtaro still had difficulty admitting when something was really bothering him.

Bijou's voice became subtly softer and laced with care. "Hamtaro, we 'ave known each other for a long time, non? I can tell when you are upset." She dared to take a couple steps closer, standing by his side. "What iz wrong?"

Hamtaro turned his amber eyes to look into Bijou's teal ones, seeing in them true concern. He felt his heart warm, but didn't understand why.

"Alright, Bij, you win." The cream and orange ham sighed. "These last couple nights, I've been having some weird dreams..."

* * *

"Aw man... I'm never gonna find somethin' ta eat around here," the hamster remarked to himself as he lazily strolled through the grass.

_Maybe I've wandered a little too far this time_, he thought. Somehow, he had ended up in one of those massive human cities and had spent the whole night trying to sleep in this park. _Park?_ the hamster mused. _This is some good land here! A little bushy, but these humans don't know what they got._ Still, he didn't like entertaining the idea of staying in this city for much longer, park or not. For one thing, there were too many people, which meant too many opportunities to get stepped on. Not to mention cars. And then there were cats...

He didn't like cats.

Orange ones, grey ones, the bastards with the multicolored fur... he'd seen enough of'm to last a lifetime.

His stomach gurgled loudly, and the hamster ran a paw through his messy, unkept black hair while sighing. _If I don't find somethin' ta eat, I'm gonna starve! _the blue-eyed hamster thought over-dramatically. Then... wait? Were those voices he heard? And they were hamster voices too! Was it bad that he was only excited because they might have food? Eh, whatever.

The hamster ran towards the sound, deciding to chalk up his fatigue to his hunger and not his increasing age. He soon found himself in a bush, the two hamsters voices coming from just the other side. But the blue-eyed hamster stopped. One of them (from the sound of the voice, a girlham) had used a name. A name that, the blue-eyed ham had to admit, he had not heard in a very long time.

The hamster listened intently, seeing if he could make out that seven letter name again. Then, he heard the girlham ask the other, "How long 'ave you been 'aving these dreams, Hamtaro?"

There it was.

_Well well well_, he considered while rubbing his chin, _go figure. Didn't think I'd ever hear THAT name again._

He decided to inch closer; just enough so he could see them. Sure enough, it was both a girlham and a boyham. The former had white fur and wore two cerulean ribbons in her hair. She had an accent, and was, he had to admit, a little too young for his tastes. But the boyham...

A mixture of cream and orange fur? Those telltale amber eyes? There was no mistaking it. But still, it could all just be a fluke. If only there was some way to be sure...

"So you think your muzzer was in the dreams also?" the girlham asked the boyham.

The amber-eyed ham nodded. "Yeah, my mommy, Yuki, was in the one I had last night, so-"

_Yuki? Did that kid just say his mom was Yuki? Whaddya know, it is him! That's defiantly Hamtaro. _The blue-eyed hamster nearly laughed out loud. He could barely believe it.

* * *

Hamtaro's gaze shot to the bushes nearby. "Did you hear that?" he asked the white-furred girlham curiously.

"'ear what?" Bijou responded puzzled. But Hamtaro was sure he had heard something behind the sheet of green leafs. There was a short silence, and then-

"Alright, kid, alright. Ya caught me," remarked another hamster while nonchalantly stepping out from the natural cover. "Ya know, ya really have some keen senses there."

As Hamtaro and Bijou looked into the ham's face, which was accented by his blue eyes, they couldn't help noticing how unkept and scruffy he looked. The ends of his whiskers were bent in static angles, while the black fur on top of his head and around his ears seemed to grow out in uneven patches, resembling a messy haircut. His belly and face were covered in a cream colored fur and the hamster seemed to conduct himself with an easygoing attitude, the lines and contours of his face showing off a casualness that also seemed to boast a playful quality. Hamtaro asked, "Who are you?"

The blue-eyed ham shrugged while displaying a relaxed smile. "Sorry, but I'm not really one fer handing out my name ta strangers."

Hamtaro tilted his head. "Heke? What were you doing in the bushes? You weren't spying on us, were you?"

The other hamster seemed suddenly, and over-dramatically, taken aback. "What?! Me? Spying? Aw no, ya've got the wrong guy. Haha..."

"Well then what were you doing?" pressed Bijou.

Rubbing the back of his messy hair furiously, the ham turned his blue gaze up to the trees. "Oh, you know. Just out fara stroll. Takin' in the nature and all that." Then, he displayed a playful grin. "Come on, don't tell me ya've never stopped ta take a look at all these fine trees. Surely, you have. Right, Hamtaro?"

The cream and orange ham's amber eyes widened. "Wait, but... how'd you know my name...?"

The blue-eyed ham gave another grin. "Well waddya know. You catch on quick, too. Then again, suppose I should've expected as much from you."

Hamtaro and Bijou just continued to become more and more confused. Who was this guy?

"Well," he suddenly spoke, as if on cue, "I'd better be off then. Nice ta see ya, Hamtaro." He looked at Bijou. "And I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

"Bijou," she replied, slightly thrown off guard.

"Right. So Hamtaro and Bijou." The blue-eyed scruffy hamster turned and began to walk away. "Well, I'll be seeing ya."

Hamtaro and Bijou seemed to hang in a trance for a second, taken aback by their strange and confusing encounter, before the cream and orange ham realized something. "Hey!" he called out after the hamster. "You know our names now, so we aren't strangers anymore. So what's your name?"

The blue-eyed hamster stopped. He seemed to consider something for a moment, then he turned around and gave them both a kind, almost uncharacteristic look. "My name's Collie," he answered, the tiniest hint of professionalism in his voice. And then, Collie gave the pair one last smile. "See ya around, kid." He turned and strolled away.

* * *

Bijou was glad that Hamtaro had agreed to come to the clubhouse with her. It was true she was worried about him, but she hoped that Cappy and his surprise birthday party would be enough to take his mind off of the dreams of his mother. At least temporarily. The French ham was almost glad that they had encountered that weird hamster; he had seemed to distract Hamtaro from his anxiety.

As the clubhouse came into view, the pair smiled as they saw an energetic Cappy hopping up and down by the tunnel entrance, exclaiming a loud and friendly "Hamha!" while Panda stood off to the side, displaying a kind smile.

"Hamha, Cappy!" Hamtaro returned as they approached nearer. "And happy birthday!"

"You too, Hamtaro!" Cappy seemed to enjoy sharing a birthday with one of his friends. "I'm glad you guys came," he continued. "Panda says that Boss made a new rule, just for today. Everybody's gotta enter the clubhouse in groups of four."

"Groups of four?" Bijou inquired, looking at Panda, who gave the French girlham a subtle look and shrugged as if to say, _What else was I suppose to tell him? _

The carpenter ham inwardly sighed. He was getting too good at making up excuses thanks to this whole surprise party thing. But it was important that both Hamtaro and Cappy were surprised at the same time. "That's right," he confirmed. "Boss told me yesterday that he was only going to let people into the clubhouse if they came in groups of four."

"That's weird," commented Hamtaro, "why would he do that?"

"Beats me," replied the carpenter ham, slightly grateful he had fooled his cream and orange friend.

"Well, we do make four, non?" Bijou inquired. "Does zat mean we may go inside?"

"Sure does!" exclaimed Cappy, while laughing. "We were starting to get worried that we'd have to sit out here all day!"

The four friends entered the tunnels laughing, Panda and Bijou in the lead, Hamtaro and Cappy behind. The cream and orange hamster had not really noticed until now that it had been a few days since he had last been to the clubhouse. He displayed a natural smile. Hamtaro was looking forward to seeing all his friends again.

As the door to the clubhouse came into view, both Hamtaro and Cappy couldn't help but notice that Bijou and Panda were acting odd. They seemed... nervous? Their steps became more robotic and Panda's paw seemed to tremble just slightly when he reached for the doorknob. But before either of the boyhams could ask about it, the door was opened, and the pair were met by a fantastic and earsplitting, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

"Wow!" Cappy and Hamtaro exclaimed in unison. The entire clubhouse had been decorated head-to-toe with colorful streamers and paper. On one side there was a table with all manor of hamster food, while in another was a ham-sized turntable. Dominating the scene was a massive banner, which read "Happy Birthday Hamtaro & Cappy!"

And in front of it all were their friends. All their fellow Ham-Hams stood around the clubhouse, happy smiles lighting up their features. Both the amber-eyed and cap wearing hamster were surprised to see that Elder Ham, Auntie Viv, and even Pepper were attending the celebration, their continuances just as bright as the others.

"For your birthdays," explained a high spirited Bijou, "we have decided to 'ave a birthday dance!"

"We even got Elder Ham and Auntie Viv to come," Boss proudly commented.

"And Pepper too!" added Oxnard.

"Like, come on guys!" picked up Sandy. "We spent a lot of time setting this all up, so let's get started!"

Stan hopped up behind the turntables, remarking, "Let's start the party!"

"Ookee!"

Hamtaro and Cappy exchanged smiles, then ran into the clubhouse to join their friends as the dance party commenced.

* * *

The party had gone on now for a number of hours, all the hamsters enjoying themselves greatly. Some stayed on the dance floor, showing off moves learned only days previously, until Elder Ham and Auntie Viv stormed onto the scene, determined to "Show all these young whipper snappers up!" which both were accomplishing very thoroughly, to the surprise and amusement of all.

In another corner, Oxnard and Pepper were preparing to engage in a fierce eating contest. Cappy held up his signature green swimmers cap, and counted, "Three... two... one... GO!" Oxnard began devouring his pile of sunflower seeds, confident of a victory, until he looked over a few moments later to see that Pepper was actually beating him. He let our a cry of dismay and, if possible, began eating faster, Pepper giving him a competitive smile while picking up speed herself.

Pashmina was looking for Penelope. She hadn't seen her little blanket wearing friend for most of the party. It wasn't long before she spotted her, sitting besides a smiling Panda and a pile of building blocks. "Hey, Penelope!" Pashmina called as she moseyed over.

"Ookyo!" The little girlham gave her scarf-loving friend a delighted smile, which Pashmina returned.

"What are you two doing over here all by yourselves?" she inquired, more to Panda than Penelope.

The black and white boyham responded, "We're building a hamster house out of building blocks." He indicated the pile next to him which, Pashmina now realized, was slowing taking shape into what appeared to be a miniature, building block mansion. Penelope began jumping up and down beside it, displaying her determined desire to make it the best hamster house ever.

"Wow guys! That's awesome! Mind if I-" But before Pashmina could finish, Dexter and Howdy scooted up on either side of her.

"My dear Pashmina," Dexter began. "It would be my honor if-"

"Come on Pashmina," cut in Howdy, "let's dance!"

"Why, Howdy, would the beautiful Pashmina ever desire to dance with the likes of you?"

"Me? And what's so special about yourself, eh?"

"At least I'm sophisticated!"

"And dull!"

"Why you-"

"Boys!" shouted the object of their debate, clearly annoyed. "I'd be happy to dance with both of you, but I need to look after Penelope."

"Well actually..." started a shy Panda. All eyes turned on him. "I can watch after her for you, Pashmina... you know, if you wanted to dance. I don't mind." The carpenter ham looked at Penelope and asked, "As long as she doesn't mind either."

"Ookee!" replied the blanket wearing girlham, picking up another block with a smile.

Pashmina blinked. No one had ever really volunteered to look after Penelope for her before. Quite frankly, it was somewhat surprising. "Well, okay..." she stated. "Thanks Panda. I really-"

Before she could finish, Dexter and Howdy had pulled the girlham away. Strangely, she found she suddenly didn't feel like dancing with them...

* * *

"It's okay, Oxy," said a worried Hamtaro. "Just let yourself rest for a bit."

"T-Thanks Hamtaro," belched Oxnard, who had received an incredible stomach ache from force feeding himself. Pepper looked on with concern as well.

"Hamtaro's right," Pepper added, "just sit down for a while, big guy. You'll be fit in no time."

Cappy laughed. "Man, I'd have a stomach ache too. It must suck being beaten by your girlham in an eating contest."

Pepper blushed. "Cappy, who won isn't important right now!"

Hamtaro smiled. Confident his friend was in good hands, he turned his attention to the other Ham-Hams. Out on the dance floor, Sandy and Maxwell versed off with Elder Ham and Auntie Viv to see who the better dancers were, while Stan on the turntables added difficulty to the contest by speeding up and slowing down the music. Bijou cheered the contestants on, while a blushing Boss tried to stir up conversation with the French girlham. Dexter and Howdy were both attempting to dance with Pashmina while simultaneously fighting each other. Snoozer was snoring through the festivities, as always. Over by the stairs, Panda and Penelope seemed to be constructing a kind of building out of blocks.

Intrigued by the two hams' activity, Hamtaro approached.

"Hamha you two!" he greeted. "What are you up to?"

Panda gave the cream and orange ham a kind smile. "We're building a hamster house," he informed while displaying the blueprints he had found in his family's attic.

"Ookyo!" Penelope chimed in.

"Wow! That's really cool guys!" Hamtaro enthusiastically replied.

"Ookee?" the blanket wearing girlham inquired of Hamtaro.

Panda looked at her. "Huh? I suppose you're right, Penelope. We could use another set of paws working on this." He turned his gaze back to Hamtaro. "Hey, you wanna help us work on it?"

Hamtaro's amber eyes widened. "Really? That'd be awesome!" He eagerly sat down. "Just tell me what to do."

* * *

Sandy wiped a paw across her forehead and let out a deep breath. That had been quite the dance contest! The tiger-striped hamgirl glanced at the clock and noted that it was nearly time for all of them to head home. If Operation Sunflower was going to happen, it had to happen now.

Sandy subtly signaled to Pashmina and, after making sure she picked up on it, gave a similar signal to Stan, who also received the message wide and clear.

The scarf-wearing girlham promptly excused herself from Dexter and Howdy, while Stan stood up behind his turntable. "Alright all you Ham-Hams out there!" he announced. All eyes turned to the dance's DJ. "It's getting pretty close to the end here, but we have time for one last dance. We're gonna sloooooow things down, so grab your partner and get ready for a slow dance!"

Sandy quickly ran over and hit the light switch (AN: did they have electricity in the clubhouse? Ah, whatever. It's my story! ANYWAYS!). As the lights dimmed, all the hamsters became aware of a number of lanterns, usually reserved for the tunnels, placed around the walls of the clubhouse. Their soft orange glows created a warm and romantic lighting. Satisfied, the tiger-striped girlham ran over to Maxwell and pulled him onto the dance floor. Elder Ham and Auntie Viv followed, along with Pepper and a fully recovered Oxnard.

Boss' ears perked. _A slow dance?_ he thought. _This is it! Now's the perfect time to tell Bijou exactly how I feel!_

The field hamster turned to the French girlham. "Hey, B-Bijou?" he stammered, doing his best to keep his voice.

"Yes, Boss?"

"I... w-well ya see... I was just... well, w-wondering if... you know... maybe we could, uh..."

Bijou turned to look at him. "Boss?" she asked, concerned. "Are you alright?"

But before the field hamster could respond, Pashmina was by Bijou's side. Without wasting a second, the scarf-wearing girlham blurted out a quick, "SorryBossbutIneedtotalktoBijouthanks!" Before Boss could form a word in response, she had grabbed Bijou's paw and took off at a fast pace, pulling the other girlham behind. All Boss could do was stand there, alone and dumbfounded. _What just happened?_

Pashmina stopped just a few feet away, Bijou looking throughly rattled by the stunt. The scarf loving ham's ear picked up the opening notes to the slow dance song Sandy had picked out. _Perfect._

"Pashmina!" exclaimed a confounded Bijou. "What iz all this about?"

"Sorry, Bij," her friend apologized, "but this is THE perfect opportunity for you to ask Hamtaro to dance!"

The French ham's cheeks instantly lit up with red. "Dance?" she responded nervously. She looked over at Hamtaro. "B-but he looks like he's 'aving fun playing with Panda and Penelope. I do not know if-"

"Nonsense!" Pashmina cut in. Still seeing her friend looking hesitant, the girlham gave her friend a wink and responded, "Alright, Bij. How about this?" The French ham turned her attention from the cream and orange boyham back to her friend. Pashmina continued. "I'll ask one of the guys to dance if you ask Hamtaro to dance."

"Huh? But Pash-"

But the French ham's friend was already walking over towards the three hamsters and their building block hamster house. On her way, Dexter and Howdy slid into Pashmina's path, each clearly desiring to share the last dance with her. But before they could get a word off, the girlham simple remarked, while adjusting her scarf, "Excuse me, boys," and left them in her wake, leaving the pair mouths agape. Walking up to her younger friend, Pashmina gave Penelope a sweet smile while asking, "Penelope, would you mind me borrowing Panda for a little bit?"

The young girlham winked from beneath her yellow blanket, giving her friend a grin. Without hesitation, Pashmina walked over to a curious Panda. She gave the boyham a charming smile.

"Come on, Panda. Let's dance."

And with that she pulled the carpenter ham up by his paws and began walking him towards the dance floor. The white cheeks of the boyham suddenly turned pink as he tried not to think about how clumsy a dancer he was. As the pair passed Bijou, Pashmina gave her a quick look while mouthing, "You're turn."

Steeling her courage and not wanting to look the fool, the French girlham approached Hamtaro. However, when she got there, she suddenly felt abashed. "Penelope," she said while turning towards the young girlham, "may I talk to Hamtaro for a bit?"

"Ookyo," Penelope responded, the lines of her mouth forming a mischievous, yet encouraging, smile.

"Zank you," Bijou shyly remarked before turning towards the amber-eyed boyham. "Hamtaro?"

"Sure thing," he said with an affectionate smile. He stood and followed her a few paces away. "What is it, Bijou?"

"Hamtaro, I was wondering if you would..." But honestly, the French girlham found herself having trouble going on. _What if he does not want to dance? What if he does not want to dance with ME? _For reasons she couldn't explain, her head was suddenly swimming with doubt. She could do it. She knew she could. But she just couldn't get the words out.

Meanwhile, Hamtaro was having thoughts of his own. The boyham couldn't help noticing that he hadn't really gotten to talk or be around Bijou since the party began. She was always very nice to him, especially today when the girlham has listened to his dream crisis. Then, his ears twitched as he heard the soft music playing in the background.

"Hey, Bijou?" the boyham inquired.

The girlham seemed to have snapped out of a trance. "Yes, Hamtaro?"

"Do you wanna dance?"

Bijou's cheeks warmed and flushed, even as she attempted to hide it. "Yes, Hamtaro. I would love to dance with you." She could barely contain the unrivaled joy in her voice.

The pair walked out to the dance floor just as the the words to the song began.

_Wise  
Men  
Say... _

Their paws touched and grasped as they reached an open spot on the dance floor, turning to each other as they had both been taught not days previous.

_Only fools  
Rush  
In... _

Their eyes met, amber looking into teal, teal looking into amber, as they began turning and swaying to the soothing and resonating melody.

_But I  
Can't  
Help  
Falling in love  
With  
You._

A calm and prominent silence entangled the two as they smiled warmly at each other, letting the gentle notes guide them.

_Shall I stay?  
Would it be a sin?  
If I can't help  
Falling in love with you._

As they turned, Bijou saw Pashmina dancing with Panda.

"Sorry... I'm really not that good at this," the carpenter ham commented.

"You're doing good. You don't have to apologize," Pashmina reassured with a smile, failing to mention that she actually found it cute.

_Like a river flows  
Surely to the sea  
Darling, so it goes  
Somethings are meant to be._

Sandy and Maxwell, clearly the best dancers on the floor, seemed to be enjoying themselves as they flowed and turned. Sandy caught Bijou's eye and gave her a wink, to which the French girlham responded with a shy smile.

_So take my hand  
Take my whole life too  
For I can't help  
Falling in love with you._

Bijou allowed herself to relax. Everything seemed so... at peace. The French girlham slowly brought her head in to rest upon Hamtaro's shoulder as she let out a small sigh. The boyham's cheeks warmed and he felt a strange feeling inside him he didn't understand. Still, something seemed right about this. And so, Hamtaro leaned his head in to rest against Bijou's.

_Somethings are meant to be..._

_Take my hand  
Take my whole life too  
For I can't help  
Falling in love with you._

_For I can't help  
Falling in love with you._

As the song slowly ended, and the dancers gradually came to a stop, nobody noticed that an enraged and thoroughly upset field hamster had stormed out of the clubhouse partway through the song.

* * *

Hamtaro turned onto his street, nearly home. He really did have some great friends for putting on such a great party for Cappy and him. The cream and orange ham knew, truly knew, that he was immeasurably lucky to know, and be, a Ham-Ham.

It was with those happy thoughts that Hamtaro stepped onto his house's front lawn. Brandy, like every morning, day, and night, seemed to be napping, half of his brown body laying lazily out of his doghouse. The light in Laura's room was off. _Good,_ the hamster thought, _I beat Laura home. Wouldn't want her worrying about me._

Suddenly, the bushes to his left rustled. Hamtaro quickly turned, remembering a similar thing happening earlier that same day. Was it that same hamster from before, or something else? But as the figured stepped out from between the leaves, the amber-eyed ham was surprised to see it was...

"Boss?" Hamtaro naively questioned, seeing the large field hamster appear before him. "What are you doing here?"

A broad mixture of feelings seemed to be displaying themselves upon his friend's face. Anger, sadness, confusion... they all merged into an odd, heavyhearted look that made Hamtaro feel both nervous and guilt-ridden. The field hamster's eyes seemed, even in the fading light of the sunset, to be red and swollen, leaving Hamtaro to wonder if he had been crying. "Boss?" the amber-eyed ham tried again. "How long have you been here?"

"Y-You..." Boss unexpectedly stated in a hoarse voice. "I thought... I thought we were friends, Hamtaro..."

The accusation stung the cream and orange boyham like a needle. "We _are_ friends! What are you talking about, Boss?"

"Bijou!" the field hamster cried out instantly in answer. "You were slow dancing with her! How could you?! I told you... from the beginning I told you about how I felt about her!" The enraged hamster vented, letting his angry words fly like flames. "That last dance was suppose to be ours! And you just..."

Boss hung his head for a second, his continence going gloomy. Then, suddenly, "And you just stole it from us!" With that, the large field hamster lunged at the amber-eyed ham, to tackle him, hit him, to do anything to hurt him back.

But, strangely, something deep down within Hamtaro saw it coming. Maybe it was just a hunch. Maybe it was some inlaid instinct. Whatever it was, Hamtaro had seen it coming, and even as Boss' feet pushed off from the ground, the cream and orange ham was already ducking to the side.

Boss missed, losing his footing and falling to the ground. Hamtaro, unaware of how agilely he had dodged the assault, ran towards the field hamster, wanting to help him up, while declaring, "Boss, listen! Let me just-"

"Get away from me!" the field hamster cried, taking a swing at Hamtaro from the ground.

The amber-eyed ham stopped where he was. Boss had been one of the first friends he had met here. At times, he had even seemed like an older brother to him. His words hit with the force of punches. Hamtaro's eyes stung.

Appearing out of his mind with grief, Boss stood and threw a punch at the cream and orange boyham. But, much like before, Hamtaro somehow predicted it and weaved to the side, leaving Boss' fisted paw to collide with air. The cream and orange ham opened his mouth to plead with his friend again, but before any words could leave his lips, a loud and dominating bark resounded. Startled, both hamsters turned to to see Brandy, awake and on his feet. The dog was growling and taking slow steps towards Boss.

The field hamster stumbled backward away from the canine. After a quick moment, he regained his balance. "Hamtaro..." Boss started, turning his head to the side. "From this moment on we're no longer friends. I don't want you coming anywhere near the clubhouse. You're not a Ham-Ham anymore." And with that, the large field hamster turned and sprinted away.

Hamtaro, amber-eyes wide, simply stared blankly after him, feeling as if the sun had just gone out.

* * *

**I have had this chapter visualized for a very very long time. Honestly, the item that seemed to hold me up the most was what song to use for the slow dance. But, ultimately, I'm glad I decided on Can't Help Falling in Love (I prefer Andrea Bocelli's version, but Elvis' is very good too). Hope nobody minds if this chapter was considerably longer than those previous. Anyway, as always, thanks for reading!**

**Oh, and let me know what you guys thought of your brief look at Collie (for I shamelessly love my OCs) :P**

**Next Chapter: Our hero tries to find a way to redeem himself in Boss' eyes as the other Ham-Hams try to convince the field hamster to change his mind. But when Hamtaro has the perfect idea for atonement, will it be enough? Or will all go horribly wrong?**

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	5. Chapter 5 pt1

**I know, it's been a while. Since my schedule's gone crazy after getting to college, I haven't been able to finish up any updates to this story. And just when I'm good and ready to work on it again, I logged on to find that the update I HAD been working on was atomatically deleted due to inactivity... which was just super. So (at least this next chapter) will be a series of really short, quick updates. I can't imagine I have any readers left at this point, but here it is.**

**HamtaroXbijouLover... if you're still reading, this next chapter and all of its updates are for you. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hamtaro, Bijou and him would be married by now. **

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_The tears falling on his fur were wet. Yes, they were very wet._

_ Hamtaro was a young baby, staring up into his mother's oh so bittersweet face as she gave him a broken-hearted smile that made him miss her like the sun._

_ Why was his mommy so sad as she sung him to sleep tonight? _

_ Her eyes looked so strong, and her fur was so very warm. _

_ "You are going to be safe, Hamtaro." Her voice seemed to be fading as Hamtaro's eyes slowly began to close. His vision became clouded. How comfortable he was, drifting off into slumber, nestled in his mother's kind paws for what would unknowingly be his last time._

_ "I love you very much, Hamtaro… I love you…"_

_

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_

Hamtaro awoke crying, tears staining his orange and cream fur. His eyes felt puffy and swollen, and although the droplets continued to fall steadily the hamster lifted neither finger nor paw to wipe them away.

It was morning and Laura had already gone to school while Hamtaro slept. There were more clouds in the sky than days previous, and he watched with amber eyes as their great shadows played across the ground outside the window.

With great effort, Hamtaro rose unsteadily off the floor of his cage and made his way over to the water bottle. He had cried himself to sleep last night and felt utterly drained of fluids.

Perhaps if Hamtaro had remembered the dream he had had last night there would be even more tears, but small fortune that it was his sorrow was rooted at a different source.

Even now, Boss' words rang in his ears.

_"From this moment on we're no longer friends. I don't want you coming anywhere near the clubhouse. You're not a Ham-Ham anymore."_

Pain had consumed Hamtaro. He felt weak and beaten.

Was this really it? All the smiles, the laughter, the good times that he had shared with his friends, and would more than willingly share again and again, was all of that now just…

"Gone?" Hamtaro spoke the last word out loud, his voice cracked and broken. The cream and orange hamster coughed.

Feeble shape that he was in, the boyham stumbled over to his wiz wheel, shakily climbing up. Placing one paw in front of the other, very slowly at first but picking up speed over time, Hamtaro began walking, then running, along until the contraption became a blurred mass zipping by beneath him.

When Hamtaro needed to think, he would hop on his wheel and run. And right now he absolutely, positively needed to think of a way to apologize to Boss.

Hamtaro loved all his friends very much. He couldn't just let all that end.

He had to find a way.

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**Until the next update. Thank you for reading.**

**~Macarov **


	6. Chapter 5 pt2

**Chapter six, second update. If I keep this up I might finish this chapter by the end of the week.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hamtaro, I'd actually be able to give Bijou a realistic French accent in my stories...

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"Sorry I am late everyone!" Bijou exclaimed as she burst through the clubhouse door, a tad out of breath but smiling nonetheless. A chorus of greetings were sent back her way as she took a look around the large circular room.

Boss was sitting comfortably in his cherry hued armchair with Cappy and Oxnard standing close beside. The three boyhams were observing Howdy and Dexter, who were wrapped up in a far too competitive game of checkers. As usual, Maxwell sat nose-deep in a new tome. Meanwhile, Sandy hopped about, spinning her ribbon is every which direction in what appeared to be a very complicated and impressive sequence. Stan on the other hand was sprawled out at the top of the slide, occasionally giving his maraca a small shake. Pashmina and Penelope were occupied with the same building blocks from the night before, and although Panda wasn't around he had apparently left the hamster house blueprints behind for them to use.

As Bijou continued to glance around, she noticed another ham was missing. _Huh? Zat iz odd…_

"Where iz Hamtaro?" the French-ham voiced aloud.

"Dunno," Cappy responded. "We haven't seen him all day."

_Zat iz_ _very much unlike him_, Bijou thought_._ Usually Hamtaro had arrived by now. "Perhaps we should go check on him?"

"Uh! Well… actually," Boss started. All eyes turned toward the field hamster. "He, uh, came by this morning to tell me he was sick. Yeah! He's real sick so he's back at his house."

All the Ham-Hams let out a gasp of concern.

"Wow man, that sucks!"

"Poor Hamtaro!"

"Oakwee!"

"Yes, zat is absolutely terrible!" Bijou agreed. "What should we do?"

Oxnard gave a shuffle as he swallowed a bite of his sunflower seed. "Do you guys think we should go visit him? I know if I was really sick I'd appreciate all my friends coming to visit me."

Bijou gave the large hamster an encouraging smile. "What a fantastic idea!"

"Wait!" Boss cut in, "You, uh… really shouldn't go to visit him. I-I mean, he's really sick and it'd be bad if all of you caught it too! Probably best to stay here. Yeah!"

Sandy glanced over at the field hamster. _That's weird,_ she noticed. _Boss is acting, like, really strange. _Also, maybe it was just her imagination, but he seemed to be sitting up a little too straight. And was that a bead of sweat running down his forehead? The tiger-striped girlham narrowed her eyes. _Something's up._

"I'm sure we'll be fine, Boss." Pashmina spoke up. "We'll be extra careful. And Oxnard's right: Hamtaro would probably love to have some visitors."

"Very well, it iz settled zen!" Bijou piped up before Boss could argue any further. "Iz everybody ready to go?"

Maxwell gave his friends a disappointed look. "Sorry guys, but I'm with Boss on this one. I can't stand being sick. Give Hamtaro my best though."

"Ugh, for once I'm with you, Maxwell my man." Stan gave another shake of his maraca. "Count me out, Ham-Hams."

Bijou gave the two a reassuring smile. "Zat iz alright. We will be sure to give Hamtaro your best wishes." As the hamsters began filing out the door, the French girlham looked over at Sandy and couldn't help but notice she seemed a little distracted. "Sandy?"

The girlham seemed to snap back out of her thoughts before turning to her best friend. "Oh, sorry Bij." She took a quick glance at Boss. "I think I'll stay here to, like, keep a watch on the boys. Tell Hamtaro I hope he gets better though."

Bijou nodded while replying, "I will be sure to tell him." And with a quick smile the white-furred girlham followed the others out the clubhouse door.

Sandy waited a few moments after the door closed before taking a few steps closer toward the field hamster. "Boss…"

Maxwell and Stan exchanged quick glances; they had both heard that tone from Sandy before, and they were both very glad it was not directed at either of them.

"You're acting very suspicious…" the girlham contemplated.

"Huh?!" came Boss' reply. "W-What do you mean? I'm fine. Just normal ol' Boss."

Sandy had a gut feeling that everything certainly was not fine, and her gut was never wrong. Even worse, she had a hunch that this might end up hurting one of her best friends, and the tiger-striped girlham refused to allow that to happen.

"Boss. Tell us what's going on. Like, now."

The large field hamster recoiled at the fervor in her voice. She really was serious. Boss let out a lengthy sigh. Stan and Maxwell looked over, curious about what was going on.

"Alright, alright, Sandy. Sheesh… you can be really scary, ya know that?"

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**Reviews and chocolate-chip cookies make my day. **

**Until the next update. And as always, thank you for reading. **

**~Macarov**


	7. Chapter 5 pt3

**Today turned out to be very disheartening, but I still managed to squeeze this update out. Bright side to everything, right? **

**I got a few reviews on that last update, but I doubt I'll get any for this one due to its length (it's really really REALLY short). Of course, that doesn't mean I wouldn't like reviews...**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hamtaro, Boss' hat would be pink and purple. Why? Just for laughs.

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In the front yard of the Haruna household, seven hamsters arranged in a line made their way past the snoozing brown and white dog, imparting unreturned greetings to the slumbering canine. They ran up to the sky-blue home, quickly climbing the drainpipe and making their way onto the second story windowsill from there.

Careful not to fall, the seven Ham-Hams tiptoed their way along the lip until they could see into the bedroom on the other side of the glass. All were excited to visit their sick friend whom they had come to cheer up. However, they were all surprised to find the blue cage resting upon the wooden writing desk to be very much empty of hamster.

"Well… maybe he's sleeping?" suggested a large grey and white ham. He tapped on the glass, calling out their friend's name, but to no avail.

"That's bizarre," mused another hamster with markings like reading glasses around his eyes. "Why would he leave his cage if he was sick?"

A younger one with a green hat perched on his head turned to the others and suggested, "Maybe he went back to the clubhouse?"

"Good point. Come on guys, let's go see."

"Oakwee oakwee!"

As the Ham-Hams began filing back down, one of them, a girlham with snow-white fur and cerulean ribbons, dawdled a little longer. Before joining the others, she looked up at the sky and wished softly…

"I hope you are alright, Hamtaro."

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**Does anybody else feel that rising tension? This chapter isn't TOO far from being finished now, and when it's complete it will officially mark the end of the "set up" for this story. After that comes the really fun stuff...**

**As always, thank you for reading.**

**~Macarov **


	8. Chapter 5 pt4

**All the reviews I've been receiving are fantastic. Thank you for your support. Here's another update to this chapter, and though it's not very long, I really enjoyed writing this part. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hamtaro, Panda would probably have more lines. Just saying.**

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At that same moment, on a sidewalk not too far away, a woman leapt into her husband's arms, shrieking a scream of alarm as a small white and orange blur darted past her legs.

Hamtaro was running as fast as his paws would carry him towards his destination. Not long ago, while dashing upon his whizwheel, he had had an idea, one that would surly win Boss back over. He had been so excited, he had flashed by Brandy without so much as a hamha, spun around the corner, and been off. Determination glimmered in the young ham's eyes and he gave neither paw nor whisker to who got in his way, human or otherwise.

He would get Boss' friendship back.

Hamtaro was sure of it.

Meanwhile, perched nonchalantly upon the top of a stone wall, a lone pair of watchful yellow eyes casually observed the racing cream and orange shape with a hint of curiosity. Slipping down from the barrier, the onlooker kept its gaze trained upon the distracted hamster. _Interesting,_ it pondered, and unhurriedly began to follow.

* * *

"Panda!" Hamtaro exclaimed as he came sliding into his friend's backyard and spotted the black and white ham.

Panda gave Hamtaro a shocked look at the sudden outburst. "Whoa! Hamtaro, you scared me!"

"Panda!" the cream and orange ham blurted out again. "I need your help!"

The carpenter-ham reached up to rub the back of his head. Why was Hamtaro in such a tizzy? "Alright, alright. What's going on?"

Hamtaro took a deep breath, than began telling the carpenter-ham about the previous night. By the time the amber-eyed ham finished telling his friend of how Boss had banned him from the clubhouse and denounced his status as a Ham-Ham, Panda's eyes were wide with bewilderment. "Hamtaro," he voiced, "what are you going to do?"

"That's why I need your help, Panda." And the cream and orange boyham told Panda all about his idea to earn Boss' friendship back, and the carpenter-ham agreed; it really was a great plan. Surely it would work! With matched resolve, the two friends started working out the details, until they were absolutely convinced of their design's invincibility.

"This is great!" cheered an exuberant Hamtaro. "Lets do this!"

And in the shadows of the grass around Panda's backyard, hiding from the lazy warmth of the summer sun poking through the pale clouds, a lone pair of round yellow eyes peered through the green blades and silently watched. The shape had overheard everything the two hamsters had discussed, and it settled itself in, content to wait and spy, its golden gaze deliberate and calculating.

Below the striking stare, the shape's mouth slowly curved into a patient smile.

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**Until the next update. As always, thank you very much for reading.**

**~Macarov **


	9. Chapter 5 pt5

**Here's an idea- how about I wrap this chapter up? Sound good? Great. **

**It feels like I'm getting my writing spirit back, and I think it shows at some parts during this update. That being said, I both love and hate the end of this chapter. You'll see why. Without further ado, here's the conclusion to chapter 6.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hamtaro, I would have an unlimited stash of sunflower seeds hidden under the tree in my front yard.**

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"You told Hamtaro WHAT?"

Boss recoiled a few paces as Sandy's explosive response echoed through the clubhouse, her gaze seeming to alight.

Maxwell merely looked on and blinked, too stunned to do much else. "Boss…" the bookworm managed, "are you serious?"

"W-well yeah," confirmed the field hamster.

Stan chimed in: "Wow, Boss-man. That's… really harsh."

"Like, I can't believe you'd do something like that!" Sandy took a step forwards, causing the field ham to stumble backward an inch. "Hamtaro's been our friend for a VERY long time, and you just decide to, like… UGH!" The tiger-striped girlham was earning her stripes as she continued backing Boss into a corner. "He's always there, ready to lend a paw, and he never minds. Like, how many times has he helped you out?"

Maxwell set his book down and got up. "She's right, Boss. Think of all the great times you've had together."

Boss' continence grew reflective as memories flashed through his mind. He remembered visiting that massive sunflower field with the cream and orange ham and how they brought everybody back fresh seeds. Then there was building the Ham-Ham fun park… not to mention hunting for treasure, playing soccer, and countless other adventures. The more the field hamster thought about it, the more he realized what a big mistake he had made. Hamtaro really was a great friend, and in return Boss had allowed his emotions to get the better of him. The poor little guy was probably broken-hearted—the field hamster knew he would be.

Boss felt rotten.

"… You guys are right. I feel terrible," Boss replied, hanging his head. "But what am I suppose to do now?"

Stan casually threw out, in the most uninterested voice a hamster could muster: "Apologize?"

Sandy shot her brother a look, then let out a deep sigh. "Like, Stan's right, rude or not. You have to find Hamtaro and apologize, right now. He's gotta be feeling pretty bummed."

"You're right!" The field hamster's head shot up, his paw clenched in dedicated resolve. Then, in a more delicate tone, "But… what if he's mad and doesn't want to see me?"

"There's only one way to find out," Sandy stated.

Boss pondered it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

Sandy displayed a small smile. "Great. I'll, like, come with you."

"We ALL will," added Maxwell as Stan gave a sigh and shrugged off any ideas of protest. "The others should already be at Hamtaro's house by now. How are we going to catch up?"

"Not a problem!" Boss replied. "I just happen to know a shortcut that'll cut the time in half." And with that, the field ham straightened his yellow hardhat, grabbed his shovel, and pulled open the door, Sandy, Maxwell and Stan right behind.

* * *

"Hamtaro!" Panda cried in distress, "Slow down up there!"

"Sorry, Panda, but I want to get there as soon as possible."

The two hamsters were scurrying across Oak Tree Park, scampering through tall grass and dodging around tree trunks as they made their way from Panda's home to the clubhouse. This would be unremarkable but for the rectangular frame of a door held above their heads.

In fact, it was the same door that the two friends had built along with Oxnard and Cappy a couple days previous. However, the wood had now been painted a rich olive color, just recently dried, so that the project looked neat and new. Even as they ran, Hamtaro smiled to himself. After seeing the new door they had for the clubhouse, there was no way Boss could stay mad at him.

Behind the cream and orange boyham, Panda let out a gasp. "Where are we going, Hamtaro?"

The two hams were weaving between towering blades of grass. "Don't worry, this is a shortcut! It'll get us to the clubhouse faster."

The carpenter-ham had never been this way before, but Hamtaro confidently pressed ahead. Panda's ears began to twitch as the sound of running water became clear, and he turned with worry to his friend. "Wait! Won't we have to cross the creek if we go this way?" Near the middle of the park, not too far from the Ham-Ham clubhouse, ran a creek, and while it wasn't particularly deep, it had a swift and strong current and Panda liked to avoid it whenever possible.

"Yeah," Hamtaro confirmed while panting, "but Boss and I went exploring down here before, and there's plenty of ways to get across."

"If you say so…"

Sure enough, not even a minute later, the grass parted into a small clearing, the creek flowing a foot in front of them. "Be careful," Panda instructed as they set the new door down to rest. Hamtaro wiped his brow as he looked up and down the running water, searching for a place to cross.

"Over there!" he declared suddenly, startling Panda. The black and white Ham-Ham looked in the direction his friend was pointing. A few feet up the bank, a generous amount of debris—from leaves to branches and even a small log—had been carried by the current, bogging and entangling together until it made a type of natural bridge across the water.

Over the years, Panda had developed a habit of rubbing the back of his arm whenever he felt unsure of something. This was exactly what the boyham was now doing. The carpenter-ham had been a builder almost his entire life, and his years of experience were now questioning the durability of the so-called "bridge."

"Hamtaro," he spoke up, "are you sure it's… sturdy?"

The two Ham-Hams picked up the door and trudged over to the crossing. Hamtaro delicately set his paw on the bridge and pressed down. It gave a slight bounce in response, but otherwise remained perfectly intact. "It seems fine…" Hamtaro speculated.

Panda remained unsure. "Ok, but let's cross carefully. Just in case."

The two hams nodded at each other, hoisted the door back over their heads, and gingerly began taking steps onto the makeshift bridge. Their progress was slow and attentive, and they listened after each footfall checking for unusual creaking or groining. Bit by bit, Hamtaro and Panda made their way across the water.

* * *

Boss grunted as he swiped at a towering blade of grass with his trusty shovel. Behind him trotted Sandy, Stan, and Maxwell, each one looking slightly unsure.

"Hey, Boss-man?" Stan piped up. "Are you sure this is a shortcut?"

"Of course. When have I ever gotten lost?"

"Well…" Sandy began.

The field ham shot her a look and continued pushing through. "Actually, Hamtaro and I discovered it together."

Maxwell stopped, his ears twitching. "Wait… is that… water I hear?"

"You got it," Boss confirmed as he swung at another stem of tall grass, "there's a creek that runs through the park, and we're going to have to cross to the other side."

"A creek?! Like, we can't swim, Boss!"

"Don't worry! There's always some debris pilled up we can use to cross. Ya won't even have to get your paws wet." The field hamster continued leading the way, silently remarking under his breath, "Bunch of scaredy-cats…"

Boss stood on his toes listening, ears twitching; they were near the water now. He reached up to part the wall of vegetation to reveal the creek, it's gushing water flowing not a foot in front of them.

"Dude! How are we supposed to cross this?"

Boss turned to address his friend's disquiet, but was cut off as Maxwell eagerly declared, "Look over there, you guys!" The Ham-Hams' gaze followed the bookworm's pointing paw upstream where there stood a clear bridge of flotsam and jetsam, and upon that bridge were…

"Hamtaro! Panda!" the four Ham-Hams cried out as they ran towards their friends.

The cream and orange ham was the first to look, and after a second his face lit up as he declared, "Hey guys!" Panda also smiled, but seemed more concerned with crossing to the far bank than greeting his friends.

Boss cuffed his paws around his mouth and called, "What are you two doing out there?"

"Sorry, Boss!" Hamtaro began. "I know you didn't want to see me again, but Panda and I have a new door for the clubhouse and—"

"Don't worry about it," Boss cut off with a smile. "Just get over here!"

* * *

The cream and orange ham smiled back. However, when he looked again, Hamtaro realized that Boss' lighthearted countenance had suddenly changed to one of dread. Panda picked up on the change too, for now all four of their friends had similar looks on their faces, eyes wide and bodies static and still. "What's wrong, guy?"

Maxwell swallowed hard. "Behind you..."

The two Ham-Hams turned their heads, their hearts stopping. Lazily sitting on the bank behind them, piercing yellow eyes looking quite amused, perched a gray cat. It's silver tail brushed back and forth, smug mouth grinning wickedly. "Well, well…" it stated in a clear, elegant basso of a voice, "what have we here?"

Hamtaro couldn't feel his legs. What could they do? They were only about halfway across. The cat was resting right beside the edge of the bridge, but maybe if Panda and him could move fast enough…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned the feline, noticing the cream and orange hamster glancing at the far bank. "I'm far faster than you'd think." The cat stood up and stretched, purring softly and deeply. "I won't eat you," it confirmed. "I'm not all that hungry." The feline eyes narrowed behind its whiskers. "However, I will admit that following you two around has been somewhat entertaining. Nonetheless, I really should be going, so I'm afraid we must cut our fun off here."

With that, the feline sluggishly placed a paw upon the bridge of debris and pressed down with surprising strength. There was a resounding crack. Then, another.

Panda's eyes widened. "Hamtaro! We have to get to the other side!"

The twigs and leaves which the two Ham-Hams stood upon cracked and began to split away from each other. The hamsters managed three steps before the floating bridge gave out beneath them.

With a yell, they pair let go of the door as they fell into the swift creek. Reaching out, Hamtaro miraculously grabbed hold of one of the still-intact logs with his left paw while Panda managed to take a hold of his right. The cream and orange hamster felt the sudden pull and tug of the current and struggled to keep his grip.

"Have fun," taunted the yellow-eyed feline, and with that it tiptoed back into the grass, its body swaying to and fro contentedly.

"Hang on, Hamtaro!" Panda cried, as he felt his paw slip a little. The cream and orange Ham-Ham strained, his teeth clenched.

Boss ran up as close as he could get. "We're going to get you out of there!" As the field hamster took a step onto the log, Maxwell stopped him.

"Boss, wait! If we're not careful, we'll knock the other log free."

Sandy put her paws to her mouth with worry. "There has to be, like, something we can do!"

"Guys! Hurry!" Hamtaro shouted. The log was slick, and the boyham forced himself to keep a hold, despite the odds.

Boss grabbed his shovel and turned to Stan. "Come on! Help me with this." The tiger-stripped boyham rushed over and began helping the field ham scoot out as far as he safely could, reaching out with the handle of his shovel. "Grab on you two!"

Panda reached out, his paw just a few inches away. "A little closer!"

Suddenly, Hamtaro let out a yell. "I can't hold on much longer!"

At that instant, time seemed to slow. Hamtaro saw and felt his weary paw slip away from the log. He felt the rapid creek quickly push him farther and farther away, despite his desperate attempt to grab back on. He felt Panda also slip from his grasp. Hamtaro could make out, for a brief second, Boss and his friends running alongside the water, calling their names as if it would bring them back. The last thing the cream and orange hamster remembered was his world going black as Boss' voice reverberated through the still, summer air.

"Hamtaro!"

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This is how it feels to be Bijou, right now:

After returning to the clubhouse to find Boss, Sandy, Stan, and Maxwell missing, your friends and you decide to sit down, play, joke and laugh. Everything's normal.

Suddenly, the door opens, and framed in the opening is Boss. He looks… upset. More upset then you've ever seen him. He stumbles through the doorway, followed by Sandy, Maxwell and Stan, and slumps down upon the floor of the clubhouse, his head hung low and downcast.

"G-guys?" inquires Oxnard next to you, "What's wrong?"

Maxwell shuffles uneasily and slowly begins telling the tale, but the funny thing is you can't remember or recall exactly what he said.

You remember something about Boss being upset with Hamtaro, about Boss feeling guilty and going to apologize to him.

Of course, you remember the part about the creek.

You remember the sudden gasps as everyone heard about the cat, and a feeling of shock sweeps your body as you hear what happened next.

You're unable to move as Maxwell tells everybody that they had been out scouring the creek bank for any signs of their two friends, but had found nothing.

There's the woeful look on Sandy and Stan's faces, the broken tone in Maxwell's voice, and Boss upon the ground looking defeated.

And you feel warmth—the warmth and wetness of tears running down your cheeks. You do your best to hold them back, but some get through your attempt and glitter and sparkle down your face.

Pashmina reaches out and hugs you, and Penelope too, the small hamgirl crying most openingly. Some of the guys begin talking about mounting a more thorough search, and you want to join, but for some reason your legs still won't move. Pashmina manages to help you to a seat at the table. Sandy comes over and gives you a hug, her voice cracking.

"I'm so sorry, Bij..."

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**Next Chapter: The Ham-Hams mount a massive search for their friends, but the creek is very long and fast. Where are Hamtaro and Panda? What's happened to them? **

**Thank you for reading.**

**~Macarov **


	10. Determination and Hope

**What? What's this? Oh, I updated... how uncharacteristic of me...**

**This chapter's shorter than the others, but I'm sure nobody will mind TOO much. Thanks to all who reviewed the last bit, I love feedback. I also love cookies. In fact, if you sent me some cookies, I might just update faster... Just sayin. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hamtaro, Dexter and Howdy would hook up. Yeah... I went there.

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Maxwell crossed his arms and took a deep breath. Splayed out before him on the green grass was a map, its four corners held down by stones. _Well,_ the bookworm quietly ceded, _if we can even _call _it a map. _In truth, it was merely a large piece of paper with a rough estimate of the length and course of the creek, which was skeptical at best; none of the hamsters had bothered to map out the waterway before, so Maxwell could only guess how far it ran.

As if on cue, there was a rustling in the bushes and the vegetation parted to reveal the tiger-stripped form of Sandy. "Another update for you, Maxy," she informed, striding over.

"Great," came the boyham's reply. "Come show me and I'll add it on."

As Maxwell listened and marked adjustments on the map, he couldn't help but marvel at the resolve of his friends. Sharing a common goal, the Ham-Hams had decided on a plan of action relatively quickly. Under careful instruction from Maxwell, the hamsters had divided up into groups. Boss and Stan paired up to scout downstream, looking for any signs of their missing friends. Any information, including updates for Maxwell's map, were carried back via relay system composed of Howdy, Dexter, Cappy, and Sandy, meaning that updates could be passed on quickly and frequently, keeping the bookham in the know.

"Like this?" he confirmed.

"Yeah that looks right. It starts to get wider farther downstream." Sandy's features shaped into a look of uncertainty. "Hey… you don't think—"

"Thanks for the update," Maxwell cut in with a reassuring smile. _We can't give into doubts. We have to have hope._

Sandy mouth curved up into a soft smile of thanks. "Like, no problem." The girlham gestured over her shoulder. "I'm going to head out. I'll hurry back if they find anything."

The boyham gave her another smile as she ducked back into the bush and out of sight. Then, he began examining the chart again. Sandy had been right: the creek seemed to get increasingly wider the farther it flowed. Maxwell had hoped the waterway would have narrowed at some point, which would have given Hamtaro and Panda a chance to get ashore, but that wish didn't seem likely anymore. Still, the current might slow down, and it _was_ Hamtaro. While he couldn't say too much for Panda, Maxwell knew that his cream and orange friend had gotten himself and the other Ham-Hams out of many difficult and tricky situations, and there was always a chance that they would find the two hamsters wet, hungry, and tired, but okay.

"Any news, Maxwell?"

The bookworm looked up to see Oxnard jogging towards him through the grass, Pashmina, Penelope, and Bijou not far behind. The large, grey-spotted hamster stopped in front of the map, breathing heavily; Oxnard never moved anywhere fast if he could avoid it, and the fact he had been was a clear sign that he was desperate for good news concerning his friends.

"Well," Maxwell began with a paw to his chart, "we've managed to plot out a good portion of the creek, but so far we haven't found them. However, Boss and Stan won't be giving up any time soon."

The three girlhams had caught up, and Penelope offered a concerned, "Oakwee?"

Pashmina gave her "little sister" a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, if anybody can find them, it's Boss and Stan." But in truth, Pashmina was doing her best to hide her own worry from the little girlham. She hoped Panda and Hamtaro were alright…

"How's Laura? And Mimi?" Maxwell inquired, fearing the worst. It had been Oxnard who had first volunteered to check on Hamtaro and Panda's humans, Pashmina, Penelope and Bijou being quick to join him.

Oxnard began nibbling on his sunflower seed, while answering, "Not good… they're both pretty upset. Kana stayed home from school to help Laura look, and I think her parents are making posters."

"Mimi's parents are out looking everywhere," Pashmina added. "How terrible it must be. I can't imagine how June would feel if I suddenly went missing…"

Oxnard ears twitched as he had an idea. "Hey! Maybe we should make some posters too!"

"Good idea!" Maxwell encouraged. "I think we still have some paper back at the clubhouse."

The four hams nodded, and began dashing off in the direction of their hangout. Oxnard practically wheezing from his first "Badda badda." The bookworm watched them go, and then suddenly had a thought. "Hey Bijou! Wait up a second!" The French girlham stopped and turned around. Maxwell quickly strode up to her and asked quietly, "Are you sure you're ok?" Hearing what happened the previous day had hit Bijou the hardest; for a little while, she couldn't even get up from the stool she had been sitting on. Sandy had walked her home, but had said she was in bad shape when she left.

But now, the white furred Ham-Ham only briefly looked down at the ground, before shooting her head back up and to look at Maxwell with determination burning in her teal eyes. "We will not find Hamtaro and Panda by doing nothing," she stated with fire. "I will help any way we can until they are back with us."

Maxwell couldn't help but smile. _There's more steel to her than meets the eye. _

Bijou turned and ran off after the others, ready to assist however she could in the search.

* * *

On the edge of town, Boss and Stan walked next to the creek, eyes keen and searching for any signs of their missing friends.

"That water's moving pretty fast, Boss-man. I sure hope-"

"Hey!" Boss cut off, "They're both fine! We'll find them…"

The pair had been searching for hours now, the sun just starting its long decent towards the horizon. Both hamsters were hungry, but neither gave a thought to stopping for a break. Stan lifted his gaze from the water and looked around. After all, there were more dangerous things than the creek.

Maxwell had told the Ham-Hams about the cat they saw, and Stan couldn't help thinking he was right to warn them. Sure, they had all been chased by cats at some point, but that one had just been… different. It didn't lunge at them, or hiss, or swipe at them with its claws. Instead, it had observed them with a cold, almost murderous calculation in its gold eyes. It was enough to make Stan shiver.

"Look up ahead," Boss motioned, shaking the boyham from his daydreams. The duo had reached the edge of the city. Ahead of them, running for miles upon miles upon miles, onward flowed the creek, its current just a quick as upriver.

"Boss…" Stan asked, voicing what they were both thinking. "How far do you think they were carried?"

The field hamster stood on his tiptoes, sniffing the air with his exceptional nose, but only picked up the scent of water and mud, grass, trees and other plants. Boss clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Hamtaro! Panda! Where are you!"

* * *

At that moment, far away along the riverbank, a young, golden-brown furred girlham walked along beside the water. The current was softer here, making it a great place to look for pretty rocks and other fancy things that might wash ashore.

She hummed merrily to herself as she skipped along across deposits of sand, admiring the way her paws made footprints on the shore.

"Marin!" she heard her dad shout from a little ways off. "Marin! Where'd you run off to?"

The girlham turned and looked over her shoulder. She'd go back in a minute, but first she wanted to find a nice, smooth stone to take with her.

Starting off again, she saw something strange in the distance, resting upon the wet sand. There was a bit of orange… and some green… wait…!

Suddenly, she realized she wasn't looking at something, but someone! Dashing as fast as her little paws could carry her, she ran up beside the nearest hamster. His black and white fur was drenched. Laying beside him on what appeared to be a green, wooden door was another hamster, this one cream and orange.

Marin grabbed the black and white one's arm and began shaking his body. "Hey!" she cried, "Hey! Are you alright?"

The hamster coughed dryly. His eyes opened, just barely, and he managed a weak, "Where…?" Then, his eyelids slowly closed again.

Marin squealed. They were alive!

"Papa!" she shouted. "Papa, hurry! I found some hamsters and they need help!"

* * *

Next Chapter: Our protagonists awaken, but where are they? And how will they find their way back home?

**Thanks for reading. **

**~Macarov **


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